Aftermath-An Alternate Universe
by Waterdancer
Summary: Aftermath can have a different meaning for everyone. This is the story of how the relationship of Steve Rogers and Felicity Smoak began. ***New Chapters Added***
1. Prologue

"As I was saying, Captain Rogers, we reviewed the schematics of your suit. We think we can add more Kevlar to the front and sides to protect you from stray bullets. You may be a super soldier but…"

"Bullets hurt." Steve finished as he looked over the drawings of his new suit. The one from New York had a lot of memories for him but he needed something more tactical now that he was going on missions more often. He was looking over other plans when he heard the lab door slide open. Turning to see who entered, he stopped when he saw a flash of blond hair turn the corner.

"This is our R&D lab, Ms. Smoak. Everything you see here, and I think goes without saying, is classified." Dr. Patrick said brusquely as she ran her fingers along the arrowheads on the counter. "In this lab, we develop tech to help our agents in the field. Before you ask Ms. Smoak, yes, we do get visits from the Avengers team. We have to test our designs."

She tempered her response with a slight nod but inside she could feel herself becoming excited. The opportunity had presented itself when she read an email from Tony after the Chitauri incident. He said that he wanted her help with modifications and she couldn't say no. The schematics on the screens showed her the ways that their equipment could be modified and she couldn't wait to get her hands on them. When she arrived in D.C., she was worried that she wouldn't be able to find her way around the agency but when she looked at the new designs, she knew that she would fit in perfectly. "Do you have anything that you're working on now, Dr. Patrick?"

The older man looked her over as if he was assessing whether to tell her. She offered a small smile and was relieved when he returned it. "We are, in fact," He walked over to the table and pulled out a sketch of the Captain America uniform. "This."

Felicity eyes widened as she took in the design. Seeing the uniform in books or online did not do it justice. "Wow," she said quietly. The suit's color had been changed to a darker blue but the silver star and the red and white stripes were unmistakable.

"It is magnificent," Dr. Patrick said. "After New York, we wanted to redesign it so it wasn't so cartoonish and having Captain Rogers here in person has helped." He pointed to the back of the uniform. "We added the brace for his shield. If he isn't in the field, it allows him to keep it close if he needs it."

"Currently," he continued taking a pen out and pointing to the sides of it. "We're working with Captain Rogers to add more Kevlar to the suit. He might be a super solider but …"

"Bullets hurt." She finished as she continued to look at the suit. "But I don't see why you need to add more Kevlar, it would make the suit too bulky. He's perfect the way he is."

"Well, thanks?" A deep voice said from behind her.

Felicity spun around and she could feel the blush spread over her face. Standing in front of her was Steve Rogers whose had an amused look on his face.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?" she asked, her face growing even redder. It would her luck that she would make a comment about an Avenger. She hadn't even been at agency a full day yet, and of course, that Avenger would be Captain America. She could imagine the teasing she would get from Thea if she ever told her.

To his credit, Felicity thought, he didn't tease her and just smiled. "I'm afraid you did, but I won't hold that against you." His smile, while guarded, did reach his eyes as if he was curious about her.

"Wow, you're attractive," she said again, and instantly felt her face grow hot again. She really needed to get a handle on her babbling. She saw him blush and relaxed.

"Well, miss, that's twice you've given me a compliment and I don't even know your name."

"Oh! Me? My name is Felicity Smoak."


	2. Hospital Visits

He heard her before he saw her. The click of her heels was unmistakable as he heard her speaking in her _loud voice_ to the man standing in front of his hospital door. Sam looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Steve chuckled. "Felicity Smoak."

"She's good?"

"Yeah, she's good." Sam nodded and went to the door. Steve could hear him tell the guard to let her in.

"We're under order…"

"I understand but Cap wants to see her," Sam said evenly. "Are you really gonna deny Captain America?"

"No, but she isn't authorized."

"Eh, who's going to tell? And do you really want to be the man who didn't give Cap what he wants? Especially after what happened yesterday?"

He could hear the man shifting and let out a loud sigh. "Fury is going to lose his shit."

Sam chuckled, and looked back at Steve who had shifted his weight to sit up in the bed. "Somehow, I think he'll be okay. Let her in."

As the man stepped aside, Felicity rushed in and stood in the middle of the room. Steve could see the worry lines around her eyes. She would never tell him that she was scared for him but he could always read her.

"Hey, Felicity." He offered a weak smile. Looking over at Sam, the other man stepped outside to talk with the officers gathering in the hallway.

"Steve," she started as she walked over to the bed. She intertwined her fingers with his. "Are you…"

"I'll be fine." He winced as he sat up a little straighter in the bed. The stitches pulled a little but he didn't want to worry her more than she was. "Are you okay?" After he had been attacked in the elevator, and made his escape from the Triskelion—checking on Felicity had been something he couldn't risk. Besides, from what Nat had told him, she had someone to check on her.

"Yeah…" she started tilting her head at him. It looked like she wanted to say something but thought better of it. "They ordered all non-essential staff to vacate the building. I'm not that essential and besides Haw—Agent Barton checked on me." She finished with a shrug.

"You're essential, Felicity." Steve said quickly, and felt better when she smiled at him. He could almost see Nat looking at him with a smirk.

"Glad to hear that, Captain," she said with a mock salute. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and the only sound was the heart monitor. Their fingers were still intertwined and he could feel himself going back to sleep. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was Felicity looking at him with concern in her eyes.

Steve woke again to the sound of the door of his hospital room and the slight scent of lavender. "Felici—"

Sam looked up from his newspaper. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty. You just missed her. She had a phone call but told me to tell you that there would be a in depth conversation about what really happened on the helicarrier. She said and I quote, 'I know what Nat said at the hearing but I want to hear it from him.' "

He sat up in the bed and readjusted himself. He didn't want to lie but he knew that he couldn't tell her the whole story about Bucky. Hell, he didn't even know if he could believe it himself. His best friend who he had thought died seventy years ago, was very much alive as if no time had passed at all. No matter what anyone could tell him, he knew that Bucky remembered him.

"Has Nat been by?"

"No, she's still checking with those contacts in Kiev but she said that she would let us know if she hears anything."

At that moment, Felicity poked her head back into the room. Despite his thoughts about Bucky, he smiled at the sight of her. "You're awake. I meant to be here when..it's not that Sam isn't a good person to be here but…no offense, Sam."

Sam shook his head and chuckled. "None taken."

"It's just that I wanted to be here when you did…" she trailed off. There was silence that had become normal between them had entered the room. _You're an idiot, Rogers._ Sam cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still in the room.

"So, now that you're here, Felicity…" Sam started while standing and looking between them. "I'll go check in with the doctors. It's probably less uncomfortable out there."

As he left the hospital room, Steve cleared his throat. "So, you had a phone call? Star City?" Felicity had taken a temporary assignment in the R&D department. When they first met, they spent more time talking about how she was spending her time in D.C. and not on modifying his uniform. Although Tony had called her the best and brightest, she had confessed to him that she also wanted a change of scenery.

"Yep, my friends. Well, one friend in particular was worried about me after the helicarrier crashing into the Potomac. He wanted to make sure I hadn't been kidnapped by any secret government agency. Not that S.H.I.E.L.D is secret. Not anymore, with Hydra and everything on the internet…" She closed her mouth quickly.

"You saw it?" Steve asked cautiously.

She walked over to his hospital bed. "Everyone did. Nat's testimony made the news cycle, but I wanted to hear it from you. Only if you want to, I mean. I know about Sergeant Buchanan…"

"Also, known as The Winter Soldier…" Steve said quietly.

Felicity thought about it, and give him a slight shrug. "Sure. But he IS Sergeant Barnes, your best friend. I don't know about you but I think that's the most important part of this whole thing."

"You saw what happened? Everything?"

"Yep. Doesn't change what I think. Contrary to the hero credo, 'Everything is my fault, and therefore I must brood.' This one isn't on you. Promise."

He laughed at Felicity's deep voice, and placed his hand over hers. She blushed slightly and he could feel the heat on the back of his neck. "Sorry."

"Don't be," she responded and intertwined her fingers with his. He had gotten so used to them holding hands that he'd almost forgotten about the man Nat had told him about. "So, tell me about him. I read what was online and at the Smithsonian. What I want to know about is your best friend…"

Steve could see what she was attempting to do. He felt guilty that he didn't try to save Bucky when he fell. Logically, he knew it wasn't his fault but this was his best friend. If he was left to his own thoughts, he would probably run off half-cocked looking for Bucky. He glanced over at Felicity who was looking at him expectantly.

"So, Bucky, had a way of looking out for me even when I didn't think I needed it. When my mom was sick and he would make a point to invite me over for dinner or even made room for me on his couch. He never made me feel like I was being a pain in the ass…"

"But you were?" she asked with a wink. "I mean, future Captain America and all…"

Despite his mood, he laughed at her again. "A wet noodle weighed more than me, and was probably healthier. Thank you."

"Yeah, I'm sure," she said laughing with him. "What are you thanking me for?"

"For this. For always being there." He said it with more feeling than he intended and almost wanted to take it back until he saw her face. The blush from earlier had returned and she looked as if she wanted to say something but thought better of it.

"You're welcome, Steve. If you ever need to discuss the finite details of wet noodles. I'm your girl." As she said that, he gave her hand a squeeze. The awkward silence had returned but this time it was charged with something more.

 _Just say something, idiot_.

"So, Star City?" Whatever had been going on between them had ended, and she blinked at him strangely. _Way to kill the mood, Romeo._

"Yeah, I'm heading home soon. Since S.H.I.E.L.D isn't around anymore, there isn't a reason for me to stay. Tony is trying to get me to work in the R&D department at S.I. but I think I need to get back home. This was supposed to be a temporary job while things settled down back home and now they are."

Steve wanted to say something, but he thought about what Nat told him about the man who had visited Felicity while she had been working with them. _'They seemed close, Steve. He kept looking at her like you do most days.'_

"When are you leaving?"

"A few weeks. I have to get my townhouse packed up. Put some things in storage when I get back home."

"Maybe I'll see you before you leave?" he asked hopefully. "I mean, if you need help packing or moving anything."

"To answer your first question, if I didn't see you before I went home, it would wound me. Profoundly. Secondly? I would appreciate all the help if you're offering…"

"I'm offering." Helping her move would distract him from Bucky, and it would let him be around her without a guard interfering.

"Great! We can make a day out of it. Breakfast, coffee, and being embarrassed at the amount of coffee mugs I have."

"It can't be that bad. You've only been here for six months."

"Oh. Clearly, you've never seen my caffeine addiction up close."


	3. Coffee Mugs and Dinner

Felicity hated moving. It drove her crazy to pack things up after she had gotten settled. She knew that living in D.C. was temporary but she had gotten used to taking walks along the Mall and getting to know her neighbors. Her job was rewarding and she got to work with the Avengers—mostly Steve but it was had been a good change of scenery for her. John had come to see her after visiting with his cousin in Baltimore and they had a chance to spend time together.

" _Are you enjoying it out here, Felicity?' John asked as he handed her a napkin. Instead of staying in, they had decided to go to a food truck rally._

 _She bit into her burger and thought about it. It wasn't Big Belly but it would do. "At first, I was nervous. One email from Tony Stark and I move across the country to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. I had no idea if it was going to work but I couldn't imagine doing anything else right now." She grinned broadly._

" _You know this was supposed to be a temporary thing, right?" John asked taken a sip from his soda. "6 months and then you said you'd come back to Star City."_

" _I know, John! And I am! Promise. I even get to work with some of the Avengers from time to time. Agent Romanoff is surprisingly much nicer than you would think but I still think she could kill me and get away with it. Don't tell our friend but Agent Barton has a whole cache of trick arrows. I may be able to come up with something similar for Oliver but not alike—Agent Barton is particular about things like that."_

 _John laughed loudly and shook his head. "Somehow I think he would be too. So, aside from working at S.H.I.E.L.D, what else have you doing? You are getting out, right? Seeing the sights?"_

 _Felicity looked at him with a shrug. "First, you make it sound like a prison sentence. Second, I'm getting out as much as I can. I've been to the Smithsonian a lot. Steve's-I mean the Captain America exhibit is really interesting. Did you know that he was rejected before they let him in? The story goes that Dr. Erskine heard him talking with Sergeant Barnes and decided that he would help him. The rest, as they say, is history." She looked at John who was looking at her with an amused look on his face. "What? Do I have ketchup on my face?"_

" _No, Felicity, not at all. Just that I haven't seen your face light up like that in a long time."_

" _What are you talking about?"_

" _Just that when you mentioned Captain Rogers, your face lit up. It's good to see it."_

" _He's just my friend, John."_

" _Uh-huh."_

Felicity thought back to the conversation she had with John and countless ones after. Admittedly, the first time she met him, she was a bit star struck. It was Captain America! Once she had really gotten to know him over uniform modifications, walks along the reflecting pool, and late night dinners—she had really gotten to appreciate the man behind the title.

She was lost in her thoughts when she heard a small knock at her backdoor. "Steve," she said as she opened the door. "You made it."

He stepped into her doorway, and she had almost forgotten how much he towered over her. "Sam was ready to kick me out of his place. I was going a little stir crazy," he said sheepishly.

"Yeah? You're helping me pack. Manual labor and no reward." She stepped out of the way to let him walk in front of her. She had been so used to seeing him either in uniform or in khakis, it was a shock to see him in jeans and t-shirt.

"No reward?" he asked over his shoulder as he walked towards her kitchen. "I wouldn't say that. I get to spend time with you—helping you move. There was a promise of breakfast and coffee mugs. At least that's what I've been promised."

Felicity grinned and rubbed her hands together. "Then let's get started."

She sat in her living room, going through her DVDs. In the six months since moving to D.C., she had accumulated more movies than she would have time to watch but she didn't think she would be as involved in S.H.I.E.L.D as she had been. She smiled as she found a copy of _Rear Window_. Over coffee with Steve, she had mentioned that she loved Alfred Hitchcock and had planned to watch some of his movies over the weekend. What had started as a simple conversation had grown into late night pizza and discussion over which movie was better, _Rear Window_ or _Birds._

" _I may have to revoke that slice of pizza, Rogers," Felicity giggled as he frowned at her. "Birds is a good movie. No argument, but Rear Window is a classic. It messes with your mind and perceptions. Birds is just about pigeons who are having a bad day."_

 _He laughed loudly. "The pigeons were having a bad day." She had to admit that she did enjoy making him laugh even at her expense._

" _Clearly. Why else would they attack Tippi Hendren's character in that phone booth? They were angry birds." She finished solemnly with a nod._

 _Steve looked at her again with wide eyes, and she couldn't hold in her laughter. "If you could see your face right now... I'm sorry I offended your delicate sensibilities."_

" _Hey," he said, face softening. "They aren't that delicate."_

She smiled as she remembered how their night had ended. After falling asleep on his shoulder while they watched the movie, she had woken up to a fresh cup of coffee and a bagel. She never brought it up but she always thought it sweet gesture.

"Felicity," he called to her as he walked into the living room. "I think I found your mug collection." She looked up at him, and immediately her face burned. He was casually drinking out of the Captain America mug that Thea had gotten her as a gag gift when she first moved to D.C.

"Oh, God." She stood up quickly and rushed over to him. "I can explain. Thea, a friend…"

"Tony will be glad to know you have an Iron Man one too." He grinned while he continued to drink out of the mug. Her face grew hotter thinking about what Tony would do with that information.

She reached out to try to take the mug out of his hand and immediately remembered how much he towered over her. "Well?" he asked as he took another sip.

"When Thea found out I was moving to D.C., she thought it would be funny to send me a set of Avengers mugs. It was either that or Iron Man pajamas. Imagine seeing me in something like that…"

With a lopsided grin, he winked at her. "Yeah, imagine that."

She smiled back at him. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that he was flirting with her.

"So, anyway, that's why there are Avengers mugs in the kitchen. Promise that you won't tell Tony about this."

"I dunno, Felicity," he said. "This is a kind of a big deal. He would be thrilled that someone bought those things. I'm sure Tony will be mature about it."

She laughed loudly. "Tony? Mature about this? The same man who calls you Capsicle? Really?"

He seemed to think about it as he continued to sip from the mug. "You're right. You'll never hear the end of it. I'll make a deal with you. I'll keep quiet about this, but only if you let me take care of dinner tonight."

"That's it? I put up most of the dishes so what are you…"

"Hey, I'll take care of it," he said evenly. "So, do we have a deal?"

It would make her evening easier if she didn't have to worry about dinner. "Be honest, you won't say a thing to Tony or anyone else? Not even Nat?"

He placed the mug on the table and took her hand. "More than likely, Nat already knows and I'm always honest."

Felicity sat at her kitchen counter and watched Steve move around her kitchen. While she had been packing her bedroom, he had gone to the store to pick up things for dinner. He wouldn't tell her what he was making, or attempting to make, but promised she would enjoy it.

"What are you making?" she asked while he filled her glass with red wine. He winked at her and turned back to her stove.

"Dinner," he answered as he took a grill pan out of a canvas bag and placed it on the stove. He took out a bag of vegetables and began to cut them. She had never been a good cook. She could slap something together as if she was a contestant on _Chopped_ but she wasn't what anyone would call a decent cook.

"Okay, but what are you cooking for dinner?"

He looked up from the cutting board. "Food." She frowned at him, and he gave her another lopsided grin. "Do you trust me to put together a good meal?"

"That's a silly ques-"

"Well, do you?"

She took another sip of her wine. "Of course, I do."

"Then trust me when I say you'll enjoy dinner. I'll call you when it's ready."

"Fine," she grumbled as she walked away. "But if it's bad— "

"It won't be, Felicity. Promise."

Balancing both plates in his hand, he guided Felicity to the small table in her nook. As she sat down, he placed the plate in front of her with a flourish. "Ta-da," he said as he sat down across from her. She looked at the food strangely and then looked back up at him.

"What's wrong? Is this…" The worry crept into his voice. He couldn't remember if she was a vegan or whatever people called themselves if they didn't eat meat. He didn't think she was.

Her face was a blank slate as she continued to look at him. Suddenly, a smile broke across her face. "I thought you didn't have delicate sensibilities, Steve," she said. He relaxed remembering how she liked to tease him.

"I don't." He smiled back at her. "Are you going to eat or…?"

"I'm going to," she answered as she cut into the steak. "I have to admit, this looks amazing." She took a bite and sighed. "Tastes pretty good too. I think that's the most use my kitchen has gotten since I've been here."

"Too much overtime at work?" It figures as much. As soon as Felicity had gotten used to the inner workings of the R&D lab, she had been placed in charge of several projects including the design of his new uniform. He had overheard Dr. Patrick singing her praises to Fury.

She laughed and the sound of it made him decide that he would try his best to make it happen as much as humanly possible.

"No, I'm just a terrible cook. I am," she said as she took a forkful of the vegetables. "a top-level expert at ordering take out."

"You can't be that bad."

"Oh, but I am, Captain Rogers. Omelets are my nemesis. I may be able to enhance your uniform, add more voltage to the Widow's Bites, but basic breakfast items? Always a failure."

He was thoughtful as he took a sip of wine. "Genius level intellect but can't cook bacon?"

"If you want bacon hard enough for the dry wall, then I'm your girl."

He chuckled. "I guess I'll have to make breakfast for you sometime." As he said it, the implications of his words caught up with him. He didn't mean to sound forward and he was surprised at himself if he was being honest. "I mean—if you want me to," he said quickly, his face growing warm.

Felicity reached across the table and intertwined her fingers with his. It was one of the first things she did when she saw him in the hospital. The feelings he had at the time, which he thought had been due to the drugs they had given him, were back. She made him nervous and excited at the same time.

"You'd have to come to Starling City to do it, though," she said with a tilt of her head. "You'd come all that way just to make me breakfast? I think I'd like that."

"Good because I'd go anywhere for you," he answered. As soon as he said, he knew it was true. Even if she didn't know it, Felicity Smoak had made her way into a place that hadn't been occupied since Peggy.

Her face turned a slight red, and she squeezed his hand. "Good, let's discuss it after dinner"

 **~~  
** Felicity tried to calm her nerves as she walked him to the door. After dinner, they had cleaned the kitchen, and there had been moments that were charged between them. When they reached for the same dish, he looked like he wanted to say something but didn't. He reached over her head and she heard his breath catch when she turned to look up at him. They had talked about his potential visit to see her, and she couldn't wait for it to happen. Thea would probably lose her mind if she had the chance to introduce her to Steve. The dinner conversation had changed something between them. While she didn't want to assume anything, she learned that the hard way, she was hopeful his visit could be the beginning of something with them.

As she reached her door, she turned to face him. "Thank you for helping me today, and for dinner. It was fun."

"I had a good time too. Do you have more to pack?" he asked as he slid on his jacket.

"Is that the only reason you'd come over?"

"Course not," he said. He walked over to where she was standing and brushed the tendril of hair out of her face. "I told you, I'd go anywhere for you."

"Is that right?" She asked as she continued to look up at him. She had always noticed how clear his eyes were but at this moment, they seemed to be looking right through her.

He nodded, and looked as if he wanted to ask her something but changed his mind.

"What?"

"Is it okay if I kiss you?"

She was surprised at two things. He wanted to kiss her and that he asked her. She blinked at him. "No one has ever asked me that before. Usually, they just kiss me."

"I wanted to ask first. So, is it okay?"

She wanted to say that it was perfectly okay for him to kiss her and it took him long enough to ask but instead she just nodded.

"Good," he said as he leant down to kiss her. As their lips met, the warmth of his mouth sent a chill down her spine. She could taste the cinnamon from the desert they had shared earlier, and a sigh escaped her as he brought her closer to him. Placing her hand on his chest, she could feel his heart beating quickly just as much as hers. As he turned them around, she found herself against the wall, and he moved to her neck, peppering small kisses along the way.

"I should go," he mumbled as he bit her neck and licked the spot to soothe the slight pain. Her reaction was immediate as she groaned when he did it again.

"You don't have to," she said as he left her neck and looked at her with blown pupils. He leaned over and placed his forehead against hers.

"If I don't, you'll never get to sleep-"

"Oh, you're that good-,"

"Hey, you know that's not what I meant, Felicity," he said with a chuckle. "Although I haven't necessarily had any complaints. I just meant that you still have to pack."

She giggled and kissed him quickly. She would've never thought that she'd ever hear Steve Rogers say something suggestive. "You'll be back tomorrow?"

"Wild horses couldn't keep me away. Besides," he said as he ran his finger down her nose. "I want to hear the kind of sound you'll make when I kiss the other side of your neck."

The blush was immediate, and she decided she didn't care. Laughing, she pushed him back. "Get out of here, Rogers."

He kissed her on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, Felicity."


	4. Terrible Timing

Steve walked into the house with a smile on his face. The day with Felicity had gone much better than he had thought. With everything that had been going on in the past few weeks, it had felt good to try to be normal with a girl that he liked and from that kiss — she liked him too. She would be leaving in a few days, but they had made plans for him to go to Starling City for a visit in a few weeks.

As he walked into the kitchen, he thought about his initial plan. He had planned to see what happens and let things fall as they would with them. She was leaving and there wasn't anything that he could do about it. They would go their separate ways and that would be that. Their simple flirting was nothing more than that. It wasn't until he kissed her that he knew it could possibly lead to more. Much more. He hadn't been able to allow himself to get close to anyone significant in a long time, and the fact that it was Felicity — he couldn't have asked for it to be anyone else. He pulled a beer out of the refrigerator wondering how much they'd get done tomorrow when he went back over to help her pack.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Sam asked as he walked into the kitchen. "You guys planning the wedding yet? Hopefully, I'll get an invite."

Steve laughed. "We haven't even had a date yet, but I'm going to visit her once she gets settled. Breakfast," he licked his lips, and he could still taste Felicity's kiss, "in a few weeks."

"You're going to go all the way to Starling City to take her to breakfast?" Sam asked with a tilt of his head. "What happened over there? Did you kiss her?"

As Sam grabbed a beer from the refrigerator, Steve could feel his face grow hot. Sam took a sip from his beer and chuckled. "My man." He toasted him with his beer.

"Never kiss and tell, Sam." He took a swig of his own beer. Nothing had happened but it had taken a significant amount of willpower for him to walk away from her. He could've spent all night trying to find out which sounds he could get out of her.

"Uh-huh," Sam replied with a wink. "You don't have to say anything. I take it from that goofy grin that the lady was open to your affections."

"Sam…" Steve started.

"Okay, okay." Sam took another sip. "Oh, yeah. Nat called while you were over at Felicity's."

"Why didn't she call me? I had my phone with me. She could've called - "

"She said that she didn't want to bother you in case you were and I quote, 'finally getting some'."

"It's not like that, Sam. Not at all." He chuckled lightly. "Felicity and I are just getting to know each other is all. That — that isn't something that we're talking about. We haven't gone out on a date yet." But he'd be lying to himself if the thought hadn't crossed his mind. He was attracted to her and he was sure she was into him. If it took months for them to get closer, then he could wait.

"Uh-huh. Anyway, she said she heard from her contacts in Kiev about your friend. Wants to meet tomorrow at the cemetery."

As he raised the beer to drink, he stopped. "Tomorrow? I'm supposed to go Felicity's. She's leaving the day after."

"I don't know what to tell you, man. She'll understand, right?"

Steve nodded. The truth of the matter, he was sure that Felicity would understand. She would probably tell him that it was okay and that they would catch up later when he got to Starling City. If Nat had any solid leads on Bucky, he'd have to look for him. He had to help him but he was feeling selfish, he wanted to block it all away, and spend the afternoon with her.

"Steve? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm going to get some sleep. Meet you tomorrow?"

"I'll call when I'm on my way."

Felicity walked into her living room balancing two boxes. Steve took one from her and placed it by the front door. When he arrived, he seemed distracted and when she asked him if he was okay, he gave her a thin smile and said that he was fine. When she hugged him when he arrived, the hug was returned stiffly. She didn't think that she misread what had happened with them the night beforebut a tiny voice taunting her made her think that she was.

"Hey," she started as she handed Steve another box. "You okay?"

"Yeah, why?" He took the box from her, stacking it neatly on top of the other one.

"You just seem off since last night. I mean, I'm sorry if you regret kissing me last night but—"

Steve cocked his head to the side and looked at her strangely. "Regret kissing you _?_ Why would you say that?"

Sighing, she backed away. "You know what? This is silly. I'm sorry that I said anything." As usual, she was reading too much into his actions. If Steve had anything to say, he would have.

"Hey, wait a minute," he started as he reached out for her arm. His face wasn't angry but he looked confused. "Why would you think I regret kissing you? I don't by the way. Not at all. I'd like to do it again if you'll let me."

"Oh." Felicity blushed. "Then what's bothering you? You've been quiet ever since you've been here. I get enough of people acting as if they can't tell me anything as if I'm fragile. I can handle whatever you need to say, Steve."

"Felicity, that is the one thing that I'm not worried about."

"Good." She intertwined her fingers with his and she relaxed when he squeezed her hand. "Then what is it? What's going on?"

"Remember when I told you that Nat had been looking into her contacts about Bucky?" he asked. "She called last night and told Sam that she had heard back from them." As soon as he said it, she could see his shoulders slump.

"Oh. Good news?" she asked as she led him to the couch. The mood that Steve was in reminded her of when they talked about Sergeant Barnes in the hospital. He blamed himself for what happened to his friend after HYDRA apprehended him. He sat down with loud sigh, and she sat next him drawing legs underneath her.

"Probably. Maybe. I don't know. It's just that if it's a solid lead. I'm going to go look for him. I have to." He ran his hands over his hair. "But if I'm being honest…"

She patted his knee. "You're always honest, Steve." She felt a little better when he smiled at her.

"If I'm being honest, Felicity, I don't want go look for him if that means that I won't get to see you anytime soon. Its selfish, I know." He said it so quietly that she had to strain to hear him. When what he said finally caught up with her, she caught her breath.

"Steve, you're allowed to be a little selfish but if Nat has information that will lead you to help Sergeant Barnes, you should follow it. It's okay." It was easy to get lost in the Captain America name but It was moments like this that made her remember why she liked him as much as she did.

"Are you sure?" he asked as he laid his arm across the back of the couch. "I don't want you to think that I don't want to see you. To be with you. I just have to help Bucky first."

Nodding, she straightened her legs and leaned against his shoulder. "I don't think that, Steve. Not at all. Besides absence makes the heart grow fonder or so I've been told."

She shivered as she felt him run his finger down her bare arm. "I've heard that too. Although, I'm not sure my heart could grow any fonder of you."

She looked up at him. "Yeah?" she asked. The smile on his face was soft, and his eyes showed her more emotion that she thought she would ever see from him. It almost made her want to ask him to stay and she had a feeling that if she had asked, he would.

"Yeah," he said as he leaned down to kiss her. This time when their lips met, the emotion behind it almost took Felicity's breath away. She had been kissed before but the way he kissed her at this moment would stay with her — she was sure of it. He lifted her from her _seat_ on the couch, and suddenly she was straddling him, their kiss never breaking, his hands roaming their way across her back. She rolled her hips and smiled into their kiss when she heard him grunt in response. He pulled away from her, and before she could protest, he bit her neck softly and licked the area to soothe the pain. She sighed as he did it again.

"There it is," he mumbled as he peppered kisses along the curve of her neck.

"What?" she responded as she started to unbutton his shirt. She felt him shiver underneath her fingers as she splayed her hand on his naked chest.

"That I would find out what other sounds you make when I kiss your neck like that."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, it's like that?" she asked as she rolled her hips again. His grip on her waist tightened, and the heated look he gave her turned her on even more.

"That wasn't fair, Felicity." He said gruffly.

Feeling empowered, she gave him a wicked smile. "Probably not, Rogers, but it was fun."

"I got your fun, Smoak." He grumbled as he started to tickle her. She twisted in his lap, and she quickly realized that between his strong grip on her waist, and the position she was in—she would not be able to mount any sort of defense. She shrieked with laughter as Steve found parts of her sides that she didn't even know were ticklish.

"Okay, okay." She said gasping between giggles. "I give. You win!" She leaned down and kissed him softly. "You win."

As he brushed the hair from her face, she leaned into his hand. "Yeah, I did. I'm going to miss you," he said quietly.

Felicity bit her lip to keep the tears from forming. She had to make sure to keep her emotions in check as she was already falling for him more than she'd liketoadmit. Instead, she decided to smile at him. "Relax, Steve. It's not like you're not going to see me again. We just have terrible timing."

"I know. I just wanted to see you sooner than later. I promise you, Felicity, I will see you again."

"I'll hold you to that, Cap. What time are you supposed to meet with Nat and Sam?"

He looked at his watch. "An hour."

"Then," she started as he loosened his grip on her waist, and she slid back to her side of the couch. "Let's finish packing."

Felicity waved as Steve pulled out of her driveway. He made her promise to call him as soon as she landed, and threatened to have Tony hack her phone until she did. She didn't expect to see him anytime soon even if he had promised he would. It was time to go home.

"Were you able to say goodbye to Felicity?" Natasha asked as they walked down the row of grave markers.

Steve knew that he was doing the right thing as he left Felicity's but damn if he hated leaving the way that he had. "Yeah, I did. She understood."

Natasha chuckled. "Probably couldn't wait to get rid of you." He was used to her teasing but he knew that Natasha understood how he felt about Felicity.

She handed him a well-worn manila folder. "Be careful, Steve," Natasha said as she walked away. "You might not want to pull on that thread." He opened the file, and frowned at the picture of Bucky. He had to help him. He was the only one that could.

"You're going after him," Sam said from behind him.

Steve looked over at him. "You don't have to go, Sam."

"I know, but who else is going to keep your ass from getting shot? Besides, she'll kill me if I don't."

Steve smirked at the comment. "Yeah, she probably will. Get ready, we leave in the morning."


	5. An Invitation

" _And here's our reporter on the border of Sokovia, Elisha Johnson."_

" _Jim, witnesses say that it was gridlock as they tried to leave the city. The Avengers have been able to get the stragglers on lifeboats and out of harm's way. We have live video from inside Sokovia now."_

Felicity covered her mouth as the footage from Sokovia played on her screen. The section of the country was lifted into the air, and less than five minutes later, it had come slamming into the ground. The screen went black, and the reporter appeared back on the screen, looking shaken.

" _Our apologies for the abrupt footage but the shockwave from the collapse threw the camera off of its drone. We'll be back with comments from the first responders."_

"Oh my God," she murmured as she tried to find another channel with footage from the incident. She hadn't seen Steve or any of the team since she'd left DC. There had been sporadic text messages but she hadn't heard anything about this. Worry crept in her mind as every channel or web broadcast showed the same black screen.

The screen came to life again as a harried Elisha Johnson began to speak to one of the first responders.

" _Elisha Johnson here. I have with me, Dimitri Stavos, a medic who attended to the survivors. Dimitri, can you tell us what you saw?"_

" _Robots everywhere. As soon as one was destroyed, another one appeared. Captain America saved a woman from falling from the bridge, and the one with a bow saved a Melissa Christano and her son."_

Felicity released the breath she was holding as the man made it sound like at least Steve and Clint were okay.

" _Mr. Stavos, you said that you saw some of the Avengers. Did you see anyone else? Any more civilians escape?"_

Dimitri seemed to ponder the reporter's question as if he had more to say.

" _I saw the big green one, and the other in the iron suit. There are many causalities because we weren't able to get to the people stranded inside the borders. No one should blame the Avengers. I want them to know that we know that they did the best they could."_

Logically, Felicity knew this to be true but she knew them. They would blame themselves because they couldn't do more. Glancing at her watch, she was sure it was the next day in Sokovia but she would sleep a lot better if she could see their faces.

She opened Skype and dialed the number Steve had given her to use if she wanted to talk to him. She had played with the idea of calling him before but something had always come up. It was either her work with Oliver, or he had found another lead to Bucky. Either way, she hadn't seen him since D.C. and she missed him.

"…Felicity?..."

Her face lit up as she saw Natasha's face appear on her monitor. "Hey, Nat."

Natasha's face had cut on the side of her face that had been bandaged, and her eyes had dark circles. She had seen Natasha injured before but there was a sad look in her eyes that she hadn't seen before.

"Is everyone okay?" she asked worry creeping into her voice. The video she watched said that Steve and Clint were safe but she didn't know about anyone else.

"Barton and Stark are little banged up. Thor…Thor is fine." Natasha said with a slight smirk.

"What about Banner?" she asked, not missing how Natasha seemed to stiffen up. "Is he…?"

"The other guy wouldn't let it happen. He's fine," she said quickly. Felicity made a mental note to ask about Bruce when she spoke with Natasha again.

"Is that Smoaks?" a voice said from another part of the room.

"Yeah, Tony. It's her." She rolled her eyes as Tony came into focus. "I'll get Steve," she said as she stood from the monitor.

"Smoaks!" Tony said with an enthusiasm that surprised her but as she looked at him she could see the strain behind his eyes. "Calling to check on me? I'm touched. You should know I was very heroic yesterday."

She laughed. "I heard about it. Saved a building full of children?"

"Puppies too," Tony said with a grin.

"Of course. Tony? Are you ok? I knew you were working on some AI but when did you decide to-"

"Smoaks, I didn't decide... or rather it got out of hand," Tony said running his hands through his hair. "I just wanted the team to be able to take a break. Ultron was supposed to keep the world safe but instead, he almost destroyed a small country. So, no, Smoaks, I'm not okay. I just need to rework the code. Find out why it malfunctioned."

Felicity held up her hand. "Rework the code, Tony? Isn't bad code what got you into this mess in the first place?"

"Smoaks, you insult me. My code was perfect. It just needs to be tweaked."

Felicity sighed and decided to try another tactic. Flattery. "You know, I've always wanted to work on something like that. Since you're already ahead of me, I would like to learn what you've started. We can collaborate."

Tony thought about it and chuckled. "Flattery seems below you, Felicity."

"But did it work?"

"Of course it did. Come out to the tower and we'll talk about it." She could hear Steve's voice as he came into the room.

"There's the man of the hour. See you soon, Smoaks." Tony waved as he moved away from the monitor.

"You're seeing Tony?" Steve asked with a slight smile as he sat down.

Felicity felt better at the sight of him. There were bruises on his face that were already healing, and his hair was little longer than she remembered.

"Yup," she answered, smiling back at him. "You know I've always had a thing for the billionaire, philanthropist playboy type. He swept me off my feet." She placed her forearm over her forehead. "I'm swooning."

Steve laughed loudly. "Swooning, huh? Iron Man does it for you?"

"No, Steve Rogers does," she answered with a wink. "It's good to see your face."

"Yours too, Felicity. I miss you," he said quietly. "I'm sorry that I haven't been to see you yet. I still owe you breakfast."

"Don't apologize, Steve. Things happen, and yes, you do owe me breakfast. I want French toast with powdered sugar and maple syrup," she said. "I also want freshly ground coffee."

Steve snorted. "Freshly ground coffee, Felicity? Fancy."

"Do I need to remind you of my caffeine addiction? I still have my Captain America mug."

"You kept that thing?" he asked and she could swear he looked pleased.

It had been a silly gift from Thea but every time she drank out of it, she remembered the look on his face when he used the mug at her townhouse. It was the first night that she realized that he liked her as much as she had liked him.

"Of course, I did," she said with a smile. "There are some good memories with that mug."

"Memories, huh?"

"Considering that we haven't kissed in four months-" Her face grew hot as soon as the words left her mouth. The call was supposed to be a 'Hi, how've you been, Steve? Staying safe?' phone call but now she admitted that she been thinking about kissing him.

"I've been thinking about us on the couch," he said quickly. "The way you moved your hips-" he stopped and looked behind him. "I still think about that."

"Really?" she asked, her face still hot.

"You have no idea, Felicity," he answered and gave her a flirty wink.

Even though they were having the conversation over Skype, she didn't miss the meaning behind his words or the heated look her gave her. She cleared her throat. If she didn't take control of the situation, she would regret it.

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Come to Starling City."

"What?"

"Come to Starling City. For breakfast, and whatever else-"

He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "And by whatever else, you mean-?"

The exaggerated grin on his face made her laugh out loud. "Jerk. By whatever else I mean we can spend the day together. You can meet my friends. See Starling City."

"Why, Miss, are you asking me on a date? My delicate sensibilities are shocked by your forwardness. Back in the olden times, a fella asked a girl out."

She snorted out a laugh. "I thought your sensibilities weren't that delicate. But to answer your question, Captain Rogers, I'm a modern woman and I would like for you to visit me."

"I think, I can arrange that, Miss Smoak. It might take a few weeks but I'll be there."

Steve smiled as he ended the video call with Felicity. Seeing her face had lightened his mood more than it had been in a long time. Between looking for Bucky and dealing with Hydra, he hadn't had a moment to breathe. He would speak with the team but he knew that they wouldn't have objections.

"How is she?" Natasha asked she walked back into the room.

"She's good. Really good. She just asked me to come to Starling City. For breakfast, and whatever else."

"For whatever else, huh?" She gave him a sly smile. "I didn't know Felicity was that forward."

His face grew hot. He had teased Felicity about her comment but hearing someone else say it made him think things he wasn't ready to discuss yet.

"She's not, Nat. She wants to me to meet her friends and spend the day together."

"What about the night?"

"Natasha-"

"Okay, okay," she said holding up her hands. "When are you going? This weekend?"

"In a few weeks. The team has to be debriefed, and I also wanted to follow up on the lead that Sam had about Bucky."

"So, you're going to make that girl wait a few weeks? You should go this weekend. We'll be fine." She leaned against the desk and looked him over. "Go see Felicity, Steve. We all need a little levity, and that smile you have? You only have it around her."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Go. If something comes up, I know where to find you."

Steve reached over and gave Natasha's hand a squeeze. "Thanks, Nat."


	6. Leap of Faith

Steve played with the visitor's lanyard around his neck. He had been waiting to see Felicity for twenty minutes and was getting more nervous by the moment. Natasha would give him grief if she could see him now. He was lost in his thoughts when he heard her heels in the hallway. He stood up quickly, absently brushing imaginary lint from his jacket.

"Thanks, Charlie," she said cheerfully as she approached the desk. Felicity leaned over and smiled at him. "Hey there, soldier." Although he had seen her over Skype, seeing her in person put the video call to shame. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head with a pencil in it like she had every time he would visit her in the R&D lab at S.H.I.E.L.D. She would call it unprofessional but most days, Steve would call it his favorite hairstyle of hers.

"Felicity," he said, the smile already forming on his face. He held open his arms motioning for her to hug him. "It's been too long."

"So," she said as she walked over to him. "This is how you ask for a hug. Just open your arms, and here I am. That's not how this works, Steve." He could see a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. He would play along with her.

He cleared his throat and put his arms down. "Well, forgive me, Miss. It's been a long time since I've had to ask a lady for a hug."

She looked him over and shook her head. "I'm not sure what kind of ladies you've dealt with, Captain Rogers, but me? You need to ask." She stepped closer to him and he could smell the lavender from her shampoo. He couldn't take it anymore, and while he knew she was teasing him, he just really wanted to touch her.

"All right, Felicity," he started. "Will you please give me a hug?" He held his arms open again, and the smile she had been hiding appeared on her face.

"I would love to," she replied as she walked into his waiting arms. His arms wrapped around her shoulders and he heard her sigh as she laid her head on his chest. As she relaxed further into their hug, Steve decided that he could do this all day. She fit perfectly against him, and the way she wrapped her arms around him caused him to be the most relaxed he'd been in months.

"How was your drive in?" she asked as they separated. A tendril of hair came loose from the bun and curved around her neck. He resisted the urge brush it away. He promised himself that he would keep this time with Felicity as platonic as possible since this was going to be their first date, but as he looked her over—he was going to try his best to keep that promise. He had seen her in jeans and t-shirt at her townhouse when he helped her pack, but today, she was wearing a pale purple dress that was cut just at the middle of her thigh, and he had never noticed her legs before.

"Steve," she said taking him out of his thoughts. "You okay?"

He silently admonished himself for staring at her. "Yep, fine. My drive was good. Your directions were great. I would've checked into my hotel but I wanted to see you first." He was pleased when he caught her blushing.

"I'm just sorry that I wasn't ready for you," she said motioning to her dress. "I was working on some new tech and lost track of time. If you want, come up to my office, and I'll get changed. How do you feel about miniature golf?"

Steve walked around Felicity's office while she changed in her personal bathroom. The work area was much like her space had been in D.C. She had her bay of computers that she had lovingly dubbed, 'her babies', but on her desk, he saw the mug that had started it all. He chuckled to himself and continued to look around her office. Her lanyard from S.H.I.E.L.D. was hanging from a work lamp that covered another table that had drawings of a metal suit that looked a lot like Tony's. If he had a chance, he would ask her about it.

"Hey, Felici—hello," a woman's voice said from behind him.

Steve turned to face a slender dark haired woman who was looking him over as if she knew him.

"Hello," he said easily holding out his hand. "Steve Rogers."

The young woman smiled and took his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Thea Queen."

He tilted his head and looked at her for a moment. Thea was Oliver Queen's younger sister, and he remembered the story about the coffee mugs, and how it led to his first kiss with Felicity. "Iron Man and Captain America mugs Thea Queen?"

Thea shrugged. "That would be me. If I'd know what would happen because of it, I would've gotten Felicity the Captain America pajamas."

Steve laughed. "Yeah, and what did she tell you?"

"Nothing, Steve. Nothing at all. Girl code and all." Thea said solemnly as she placed her hand over her heart. The corners of Thea's mouth curved into a slight smile, and he could see why Felicity had liked her so much. "She told me that you were coming to town but I thought it was going to be in a few weeks."

"It was, but my friend told me that I shouldn't keep Felicity waiting. So, here I am."

"Yes, here you are," Thea said as she looked him up and down. "I have a question, and I promise it's my only one."

Nervously, Steve braced himself for whatever she had to ask him. People asked him questions all the time about being in the ice, fighting with Ultron, or in smaller circles, they would ask about Bucky. Since he didn't know Thea, he wasn't sure what to expect.

He nodded. "All right, Ms. Queen."

"First, call me Thea. Secondly, do you like Felicity? I know you like her as your friend but do you actually have feelings for her?"

Steve's face grew warm at her question. Did he have feelings for Felicity? He knew that he cared about her and when he saw her, he was instantly in a good mood. When they hugged in the lobby, he was amazed at how well she fit against him like she belonged there.

"Yeah, Ms.—Thea, I think I do." As soon as the words left him, he was surer of them. It would be hard with his work with the Avengers, and with her on the other side of the country, but he would talk to her about how he felt.

Thea looked pleased with his response. "Good to hear. If you break her heart, Steve-," she walked over to him and poked him in the chest.

He nodded. "I promise, I won't. You have my word," his hands raised in mock surrender.

She winked at him. "Good because if I don't destroy you, Felicity and her babies probably could."

"Hey, you two."

Steve turned around to watch Felicity put on her jacket. Since he had become more aware of her legs, he couldn't help but notice the way her dark jeans fit against them. The blue blouse she had decided to wear was just on the sheer side, and he could see the camisole underneath it. Although he missed her bun, her hair was down over her shoulders in soft loose curls, and he instinctively wanted to run his fingers through it.

"The proper thing to say, Steve," Thea whispered from behind him, "is that she looks nice."

Thea's voice brought him back to himself, and he cleared his throat. "You look nice, Felicity. Pretty."

His compliment made her blush. "Thank you," she said as she zipped her jacket.

"Where are you guys off to?" Thea asked.

Felicity grinned. "Mini-golf and whatever else."

Steve coughed and looked over at Felicity whose face was a blank slate of innocence.

"Well, whatever else sounds intriguing," Thea, said. "Before you leave, Felicity could I borrow you for a second? I wanted to talk to you about that meeting off-site."

"Sure. I'll be right back," Felicity said as she followed Thea out of her office. As he turned to watch them, he saw a man walk up to the pair and seemingly insert himself into the conversation. He frowned, as the man seemed angry until Felicity placed her hand on his forearm and instantly calming him down. He wondered if this was the man that Natasha had seen in D.C. with Felicity. He could see Felicity hand the man a cell phone before turning give Thea a quick hug. She poked her head inside the door and offered him a friendly smile.

"Ready to go?"

Thea watched as Felicity and Steve walked towards the elevator. Felicity hadn't stopped smiling since his arrival, and to his credit, Steve hadn't stopped either. Hearing her brother next to her, she sighed loudly. "You're brooding."

"I don't trust him, Speedy," Oliver grumbled as the elevator slid close.

Thea laughed loudly. "You don't trust Captain America, Ollie? Do you hear yourself? He's a literal golden retriever."

"Why is he here?" Oliver asked ignoring her comment.

"To see Felicity obviously." She answered as she looked over at him. "Why else would he be? You know they were close when she was with S.H.I.E.L.D."

"What if he's trying to find out about what we do?"

Thea shook her head and laughed again. "I'm pretty sure they already know and besides, Felicity wouldn't say anything. What's really going on, Ollie? You don't trust her?"

"No!" he said quickly. "You know that I do trust her but-"

"But what? Jealous, that someone is showing interest in her? I thought you were just partners?"

"We are, Speedy. I just want her to be careful."

Thea shrugged. "Felicity will be fine. I'll meet you at the warehouse later."

Felicity sat on the bench as she watched Steve set up his shot. She knew it had been a crapshoot inviting him to go to mini-golf. The man bounced his shield off surfaces for a living and was currently tearing through the course while she struggled to make sure she didn't take too many strokes.

"This was a bad idea," she said with a wry smile as he banked another shot. "I should've suggested a hay ride or something."

"What are you talking about? You aren't having fun?"

She shook her head. "I'm having a great time, to be honest. We're spending time together but I just wish I were doing better than you. Inviting you to mini-golf seemed liked a great idea on paper but-," she pointed to the course. "You're kind of killing me."

Steve grinned at her. "I mean, what did you expect?"

"Well, you said that you've never been before."

"And I haven't. We barely had enough natural light to play stick ball in the field." She rolled her eyes at his joke and watched as he took the golf club and laid it across his neck. His t-shirt had raised just enough for her to see his bare stomach, and her face grew warm when she saw him looking at her with amusement.

"So," she started as she looked away. "Explain how you're currently kicking my ass."

"I can show you better than telling you. If you want me to?" He took the golf club from around his shoulders and motioned for her to join him.

"I can't do any worse," she said while standing up. As she made her way over to him, she didn't miss the way he looked her over. Deciding to get back at him for doing so well at their game, she licked her lips once she stood in front him. His eyes went to her lips, and she cleared her throat.

"Steve?" she asked with a slight smile "You okay?"

He narrowed his eyes but then smiled at her. "Perfect. You need to turn around."

She turned around him and her breath caught as his arms went around her waist. He moved her hair from around her neck, and Felicity had to stop herself from leaning back into him.

"So," he started as he placed his hands over hers, "it's important to line your shot up."

His breath was hot on her neck, and she had to bite back the sigh that threatened to escape her. "Then what?"

"Then," he continued as he brought her closer to him. She had to remember that she was supposed to be focused on miniature golf, "you take a deep breath and swing." Together they swung the club, and the ball banked to the left and went into the hole. "See, easy. It's a leap of faith."

She turned to face him. "A leap of faith, huh? Or is it that you have an unfair advantage?"

As he took her hand and began to rub his thumb over it, she had to once again remind herself that they were there to play mini golf. "Maybe a little bit of both," he said with a wink. Before she could respond, he leaned down to kiss her. Once their lips met, the sounds of the crowded golf course had melted away, and the only feeling she had was the warmth of his hands as they moved beneath her jacket across her back and towards her waist. As the kiss deepened she could taste the vanilla of his chap stick, and smell the slight musk of his aftershave. The scent was heady, and she was lost in it. Once he brought her closer to him, she could feel his arousal against her thigh and she sighed at the contact.

He broke the kiss and looked at her with slight embarrassment. "Sorry about that," he mumbled as he kissed her again softly at the corner of her mouth.

"Don't be," Felicity said, a small coy smile appearing on her face. "But I think we should get out of here. We seem to be attracting a crowd."

She nodded her head and pointed behind him. She barely hid her smile as a very frustrated little girl cleared her throat.

"Are you guys gonna move or not?"

After their game, they had walked through downtown Star City as they talked about what they had been up to since they last saw each other. He told her about the Ultron and the latest information he had on Bucky. She shared with him all the ideas she had come up with since she began working at Palmer Tech. The excitement on her face rivaled Tony's and he finally understood why the two of them got along so well. Although he already knew about her nighttime activities, he didn't ask her about them. It wasn't the time and he decided that if she wanted to tell him, she would. This time that he had with her this weekend would only be about them and what he had spoken to Thea about.

"Hey," he said as he stopped walking. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Okay, we can walk and talk, right?" she asked.

"Are you in that much of a hurry to get rid of me?" He asked as he pulled her close and kissed her forehead.

Felicity blushed and he decided that along with her laughter, he would give anything to see her do it all the time.

"You know that I'm not, Steve."

"I don't know, Felicity. I mean after you accosted me at miniature golf-"

"Accosted you? That's not how I remember it, Captain Rogers." She laughed and gave him a wide smile.

"Well, Ms. Smoak, how do you remember it?"

"I seem to remember someone stealing a kiss, and being very happy about it."

"Interesting, but how can someone steal a kiss if the person being kissed doesn't mind?"

Felicity started to protest but then punched him lightly in the arm. "Jerk. What did you want to talk about?"

"Us."

"What about us?"

Steve had a plan in mind ever since he told Thea that he liked Felicity but once she looked up at him, he was at a loss for words. It seemed to make sense in his head. All he had to do was tell Felicity how he really felt and see where it led.

"I like you, Felicity," he blurted out and immediately his face grew warm. Although he had boldly kissed her before and had continued to do so-being upfront with her still made him feel nervous.

She squeezed his hand. "Well, I like you too, Steve. Thought that was pretty obvious."

"No," he said softly, "I mean, it is obvious, but I really like you. More so than I've said before."

Felicity's mouth formed a perfect O and he wanted to kiss her senseless. "Did you know when I was in D.C.?"

He thought about it and shook his head. "I didn't even know that you liked me until we kissed that night. I'm a slow learner."

"So, hypothetically speaking, if I were to say that I felt the same way, you would be okay with that?"

The grin on his face was reflected on hers. "I would be just fine with that, Felicity."

"Then, Steve Rogers, I really like you too." He pulled her towards him for a hug and relished how well she fit against him. He wasn't sure where it would go but he was happy to know that she felt as strongly as he did.

"Do you want to go back to my apartment?" she asked. "I don't want to seem forward but—"

"Which way?"

Felicity walked up the stairs to her apartment with Steve trailing her. While she did feel the same way about him, she wasn't sure if she could let herself fall in deeply for him. His job and the chance that he could be called away at a moment's notice didn't leave them with enough time. Timing always seemed to be an issue for them. After Cooper, she had decided to reinvent herself, and become this version of herself. She had done fine keeping her head down until she took the job in D.C. and it was there where she had been able to be herself. She didn't plan on falling for Steve, and it scared her if she was being honest with herself.

"So," she said as they reached her door, "just because you're coming to my apartment doesn't mean anything."

"I wouldn't think otherwise," he said as she opened the door. "Unless this is the whatever else that you told Thea about."

Sighing loudly, she walked into her apartment and motioned for him to follow her. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"No, because it's been playing in my head since you've said it." As he walked by her, he winked and she shook her head. "You're incorrigible. Do you want anything to drink? Beer? Water? Have a seat on the couch."

"Water will be fine," he said as he sat on the couch.

"Coming right up." As she made her way to the kitchen, she stopped at her bookshelf to grab an envelope of pictures. When she came back to Star City, she went through the things she had in storage and found pictures of herself when she was in college. Her dark hair matched her attitude; she had thought she was better than everyone then. She breezed through her coding classes and had been on track to graduate early until she met Cooper. He had swept her off her feet and turned her skills into hacktivism. They had an instant attraction to each other and she had thought she had found someone who had understood her. Cooper had sacrificed himself for her and had gone to jail. The guilt she felt almost destroyed her and even more so after she had heard that he had died in a prison fight. However, she had pulled herself together and changed. If she was going to pursue anything with Steve, she had to tell him everything about her past.

"Here you go," she said as she handed him the glass and the envelope of pictures. "Look at those pictures." She sat down next to him and waited for him to look at the pictures.

He took a sip from the glass and looked at the envelope. Felicity watched as his eyes grew wide, and looked at the photo and then looked up at her. "These are you? From when? I mean, I have to say the dark hair gives you a different look."

"A bad look?" she asked with a slight smile.

"Oh! No, not a bad look at all. You look good. Really good." He said with a vigorous nod. "But why did you show me this?"

"Because I wanted to tell you about my past and to explain why I'm a little nervous about what this is between us."

He lifted his arm in invitation and she laid her head his chest. "Why are you nervous? You don't have to be. Not with me."

Sighing, she shook her head. "Logically, I know that you won't hurt me. Not on purpose but after Cooper-"

"Cooper?"

"Cooper was my boyfriend in college. He was my first everything, you know? For all his faults, he had been good to me. We did some minor hacking in school and there was an algorithm that I developed while we were together. It was only supposed to be used between the two of us but he got greedy. When the police came—he sacrificed himself for me. He went to prison, and after I visited him—he was killed in a prison fight." As she said the words, the tears formed in her eyes. Cooper had hurt her by stealing her tech but he didn't deserve to die the way that he had.

"I'm so sorry, Felicity," Steve said quietly and rubbed her arm. "I'm sorry that he stole from you but I'm even more sorry that you lost him."

"Thank you," she said and sniffed quietly. "That's why I'm nervous about us. If you want to rethink it, I wouldn't be angry about it."

Steve poked her in the side. "Rethink what? Me and you? Who will I kiss repeatedly? I don't know about you, Felicity, but I like kissing you."

She looked up at him and smiled. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely," he said as he leaned down to kiss her.

Steve wiped Felicity's lipstick from his mouth as he left her apartment. He knew he could've stayed with her all night and a part of him wanted to, but they had both decided to call it a night.

Tonight had been perfect and like nothing that he had expected it to go when he had arrived in Star City to see Felicity. He couldn't help but smile, as he thought about miniature golfing together. He could still feel the lingering heat of her body pressed against him, as his mind continued to wonder about everything that had occurred between them in such a short period of time.

He was falling for her. There was no doubt of that now.

He hadn't felt this way in a long, long time and he couldn't help but think that Felicity was in the same boat as him. Felicity telling him about her past, about Cooper, was a monumental step for her and for them. The elation he felt about what was possible between them made him smile.

He still had plans for their weekend together and couldn't wait to see her face the next day. He wondered if she liked of pancakes or waffles better.


	7. Breakfast and FaceTime (Mature)

"So, how do it go?" Thea asked as Felicity balanced her phone on the soap dish in her bathroom. She dried her hair as she tried to think of the best way to answer Thea. Her date with Steve had gone much better than she ever would've thought and she smiled when she remembered how he had kissed her goodnight the evening before.

Thea laughed and shook her head. "That good, huh? Even on FaceTime, Felicity, I can see the blush."

Felicity scrunched her nose and looked at the screen. "Yeah, it was. He's pretty great, Thea."

"I wouldn't expect anything else. What are you guys doing today?"

"Well," Felicity started as she drew hair into a messy bun. "He's making me breakfast."

"Wait a minute, Felicity. He's making you breakfast. Are you sure you guys didn't—"

She laughed at Thea's suggestion. "I think I would know if we did. When I was in D.C., I told him that I was terrible at making breakfast so he offered to make it for me."

"So, he came all the way here to make you breakfast. I need to bottle whatever it is that you have to get someone to make me breakfast."

Felicity giggled. "I know that it sounds silly, but you've met him. I couldn't tell him no."

"Course you couldn't," Thea said with a coy smile. "When's he supposed to get there?"

"In about few minutes, I wanted to freshen up before he got here. Not sure if I'm ready to assault him with morning breath."

"After the way, he looked at you yesterday, I don't think you have anything to worry about."

She put chap stick on and looked at Thea. "What are you talking about?"

Thea rolled her eyes. "Felicity, if I wasn't there in your office, he probably would've had his way with you in the bathroom…or on your desk."

Felicity's face grew hot as she remembered feeling him against her waist at the golf course. "It's not like that, Thea. We're just getting to know each other."

Thea grinned. "Uh-huh, Felicity. Keep telling yourself that. What are you wearing anyway? Please tell me you're not wearing those flannel pajama bottoms."

She took the phone and angled it so Thea could see what she was wearing. She had decided to wear a pair of cotton pajama shorts and a thin peach colored hoodie. The shorts were her favorite because they allowed her legs to be free while she slept and while she preferred to wear tank tops when she was at home, she decided to wear the hoodie for modesty.

"Good choice, Felicity. Those shorts really show off your legs and the hoodie? What are you trying to hide?"

Before she could respond, the buzzer for her door rang. "Is that Steve?" Thea asked as she left the bathroom.

"It is," she asked. "And for the record, Thea, I'm not trying to hide anything. I just didn't want him to see me in just a tank top."

Thea shook her head. "I don't think he'd mind, Felicity. I really don't. Probably less than that if he's being honest."

"Thea," she said as she reached the door. "I told you—"

"I know. I know. It's not like that," Thea said and shrugged.

Felicity opened the door and smiled at Steve who was holding a few canvas bags filled with groceries. "It's not like what?" he asked as she moved to let him enter the apartment. She had forgotten about his enhanced hearing.

"Nothing," they both answered and Steve just shook his head. "Thea, can I call you later? After this amazing breakfast that was promised to me."

"Sure," Thea said brightly and waved. "Bye, Steve."

Felicity ended the call and followed him to the kitchen. He placed the bags on the counter and leaned down to kiss her softly at the corner of her mouth. "Hi, and good morning."

"Hi, and good morning." Each time he kissed her, she was taken aback how gentle he was with her. It was a combination of shyness and self-consciousness—and she promised herself to ask him about it later.

"Close your eyes," he said as he ran his finger down the bridge of her nose. "I have a surprise for you."

"If it's jewelry, Steve, I didn't know we had reached that stage in our relationship." She closed her eyes and held her hand out.

He laughed and she decided that she could get used to hearing it all the time. "It's not jewelry, Felicity, but I think that you'll like this much better." Felicity's eyes were still closed when she felt a small bag in her hand.

She slowly opened her eyes and observed the bag. As she read the writing on the bag, she smiled brightly. "Coffee? From that coffee house downtown?" During her early days when Palmer Tech was Queen Consolidated, she had discovered a small coffee shop that had fresh ground coffee from around the world. It was there that she discovered the joy of French pressed coffee.

"Freshly ground per your request."

She opened the bag and inhaled the fresh aroma. "It smells amazing. Sumatra?" She reached for her French press.

"The owner said that it was the best one for a French press. I don't know if it is or not. I just drink coffee from a pot."

Felicity's eyes widened and she shook her head. "You've never had French press coffee before? You have no idea what you're missing. Buckle up, Captain. It's the best thing next to sex-" As she said the words, her face grew red. "Sorry about that."

Steve gave her a cheeky grin and winked at her. The teasing was normal for them and she knew that he wasn't put off by her words. "Best thing next to sex? That must be some damn good coffee."

As Steve drank the coffee Felicity had made, he had to admit it was a pretty good cup. He had always preferred his coffee, black, and one cream. The warm cup of Sumatra coffee was unbelievably smooth and had a slight chocolaty taste to it. He watched as Felicity drank her second cup and he smiled as he heard a satisfied moan.

"That good, huh?" he asked, as placed the cup down on the counter and picked up a small paring knife. He took a few strawberries out of the carton and began to quarter them. He had decided to make French toast for their breakfast and nothing tasted better than warm syrup and strawberries.

"The best," she answered as she took another sip. "Steve, how did you know this was my favorite?"

"Well, it was our first lunchtime walk after you'd been in D.C. for a few weeks. The latte you had that morning wasn't very good and you just wanted a plain cup of coffee. We found that coffeehouse by the space museum. Gravity, I think."

"The one with the Space themed coffee flavors? You remembered that?" She scrunched up her nose and gave him a silly smile.

"Of course, I did," he said with a shrug. "I remember most things about you. Bowls?"

Felicity pointed to the cabinet over her counter. "Things like what?"

Pulling the bowl down, he cracked a few eggs, added vanilla, and began to whisk them. He could remember what he thought the first time he saw her, and he even remembered how she would smile when she would tease him about his love for Alfred Hitchcock movies.

"Well, I remember the first time you laughed."

She rolled her eyes in a huff. "Everyone laughs."

"True, but not everyone has a laugh like yours. It's—and I admit this sounds over the top musical. It makes me smile even when you're not laughing with me. Barton seemed to like it," he said.

She looked over at him. "Hawkeye? When?"

"When you were cleaning out your desk. He came by and he made you laugh," he said with a more of an edge than he had intended. When he saw Clint with Felicity, he felt a slight spike of jealousy that he wouldn't admit to anyone. At the time, he didn't know how she felt about him so seeing his fellow agent flirt with her so mercilessly with her had bothered him.

"Oh, yeah. I remember that. Clint thinks he's more charming than he actually is." She took another sip of her coffee and looked at him. "Wait a minute. Steve, are you jealous?"

As he finished whisking the mix together, he reached into the grocery bag to pull out the loaf of bread and a small bottle of maple syrup. "I was. Really." He looked over at Felicity whose mouth was hanging open. He could barely keep the smile from his face. "But then the next day at your place, I lost that feeling quickly."

"That was the first time you kissed me," she said softly.

"Yup. Do you know I was nervous as hell to ask you for that kiss?"

She laughed and gave him a strange look. "Why? I mean, I'm very glad that you did but why were you nervous?"

"Because I was afraid you'd tell me no."

Her mouth hung open again and he chuckled. "It's not that much of a stretch, Felicity. You could've told me no or told me that you weren't interested in me like that. I probably would've drowned my sorrows in beer with Sam. I am 95. I'm afraid my old heart wouldn't be able to take it."

She placed the cup on the counter and slid next to him. She bumped her hip into his. "I can't believe you were jealous. That's adorable."

He rolled his eyes and continued to cut the fruit. "Don't let it go to your head, Felicity. Barton has a way about him."

"Uh-huh," she said with a giggle. "I'm sure you were worried that the big bad agent would sweep me off my feet. Well, Steve, let me be the first to tell you. You had nothing to worry about."

"Yeah?" He placed the knife on the counter and looked down at Felicity who had leaned against his shoulder and looked up at him with soft eyes.

"Yeah," she answered as she pushed herself onto her toes and kissed him. Her lips were soft, and he could taste the mint from her toothpaste. "I'm really glad you kissed me that night," she said, grabbing one of the strawberries from the counter and bringing it to her mouth as she stepped back from him. Steve fought to control himself as he watched her bite into the small slice of fruit. It shouldn't have turned him on as much as it did, but watching her lips move came close to blowing his hard-fought-for control right out the door.

"Felicity," he couldn't stop staring at her and his face grew warm when she caught his eye.

"Steve," she licked her lips and winked at him. "Careful, that's the only paring knife I have."

Steve looked down at the knife in his hand and shook his head when he noticed that he had almost broken it in half. "I'll get you another one."

While she watched him prepare their meals, she had taken every moment to tease him as much as possible. Once she caught him looking at her while she ate the strawberry, she decided to have a little fun with him. She had begun by standing behind him and hugging him. He thanked her for the hug and flipped the toast. Since he already towered over her, she had to stand on her toes to blow gently on his neck—he laughed and said that she was so short it didn't really make a difference. Frustrated, she took her seat and glared at him.

"You're glaring," he called from the stove. He looked over his shoulder and gave her a playful smile. "It's pretty adorable," plating their food and bringing it to the table. "Enjoy."

She rolled her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue. "I'm not glaring. I'm just hungry." She looked down at the plate in front of her. It was perfect and what she had asked for. French toast, powdered sugar, and maple syrup. It was a simple meal, but the fact that he had made it for her made it even more special.

"This looks really good. Thank you for this but you know you really didn't have to."

Thoughtful, he looked up from his plate. "Sure, but remember I told you that I'd go anywhere for you, and if I had to come to Star City to make you breakfast, then that's what I was going to do. I missed you." He said it so earnestly that Felicity couldn't help but smile at him.

"I missed you too, Steve." She reached over and placed her hand over his. "Let's eat."

"Careful with that powdered sugar, Felicity," Steve said as he stood up from the table. "It's getting everywhere." Their breakfast had been filled with warm conversation and laughs. Their comfortableness with each other had even grown more since they both had admitted how their feelings had changed in the nine months since they had met. She had taken her hoodie off and he had to avert his eyes. The tank top she was wearing was just thin enough to entice him. They had flirted throughout breakfast and when Felicity's hand accidently landed on his thigh—he nearly jumped up from the table. When he had looked over at her, she didn't immediately remove it and he wondered if she had done it on purpose.

He was lost in his thoughts as he stood at the sink. He'd be lying if he didn't say that she had crossed his mind in that way. Even more so after seeing her in her purple dress, and the dark jeans that had framed her legs in the most perfect way. It didn't help matters that when he had arrived for breakfast, she was wearing pajama shorts, and his eyes had gone to her legs again. It also didn't help when she ate the strawberry, and he almost broke her paring knife in two. He was attracted to her in the best way but he didn't want to push the matter.

"Steve?"

He turned around quickly and before he knew it, he had knocked the dish holding the powdered sugar from her hands. He quickly recovered and was able to catch the small dish before it hit the floor but not before the contents had gotten in Felicity's face, and on the front of his t-shirt.

"Is this where the bad porn music starts?" Felicity said with a giggle.

His eyes widened and it made Felicity laugh even harder. "Oh my god, Steve. If you could see your face…you didn't have porn back in your day?"

Steve's face grew even redder. In the barracks, the fellas had passed around girlie magazines and he had seen most of them. They had been pin-up girls, and some were more risqué but it was never something that he got into. "No…I mean…yes. Not that I didn't-" He closed his mouth and grabbed the kitchen towel and ran warm water over it.

"So, you didn't look at the pictures?" She asked him while she wiped her face. She had gotten most of the sugar off of her face, and he could still see some on her lower lip.

"I didn't say that. I looked." He said quietly as he took the wet towel from her and dabbed at his shirt. "The girls were beautiful, and some of the pictures were more risqué. I just preferred the real thing." Growing up, girls weren't exactly breaking down his door but there had been a few. There had been enough for him to figure out what he liked when the time called for it.

"The real thing? Tell me about it." Felicity's voice had lowered enough for him to stop wiping his shirt. He looked up at her and licked his lips. The smudge of sugar was still sitting on her lower lip and it was calling out to him. She closed the space between them and the tension between them had grown to an almost unbearable rate.

He gulped and focused on her lower lip. "The real thing is when I can feel her warmth against me and I can hear her every sound she makes when I kiss her all over," he said, pausing as he moved forward, shrinking the already minimal inches between them. "When she wraps her legs around my waist and tells me how good I make her feel—that's when it's the real thing. That's what I like." He used his thumb to wipe the sugar from her lip. "You missed a spot."

She gave him a lopsided smile. "No, I didn't." Steve's breath caught as Felicity took his thumb into her mouth and sucked on it softly. He bit back a groan as he felt her tongue swirl around it. As she removed the thumb from her mouth and looked up at him with hooded eyes, every thought in his brain that had told him to show control was gone.

"I need you up here," he said as he lifted her and placed her on the counter. "You're too short." He grinned as she pouted at him.

"I'm not that short," she muttered.

He placed his hands on her rear end and pulled her to the very edge of the counter. "For what I have planned, Smoak, you're too short." He could feel the heat emanating from her center through his jogging pants. He tilted her head and began to kiss her neck. The first time he'd kissed her, he learned that Felicity liked a little pain when he focused on her neck. He bit her gently and felt a shudder go through her body. He made a mental note to make her do that again. She wrapped her legs around his waist and instinctively he moved his hips against her.

"Too many clothes," she said a little breathlessly, as she reached for his shirt. He stopped kissing her neck and grabbed her hands. "Patience, Smoak. You've been teasing me since I've been here. Turnabout is fair play."

"I haven't been teasing you." She sounded so innocent that if he hadn't almost broken her knife in half earlier, he would've believed her.

Releasing her hands, he ran his fingers up her thighs and stopped at the hem. He traced a pattern on her thigh and smirked as he heard her breath catch. "You haven't been? Then I can stop right now. We can clean up the kitchen and watch television." Her eyes narrowed at him, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"So, I'm asking you again, Felicity," he started as he slid his finger into her shorts which had risen high enough to give him access to what he wanted. His finger danced around her folds, and her legs tightened around him. He could already feel how wet she was and he wanted more. "You weren't teasing me?" He slid his finger inside and was rewarded with a loud gasp. "Just a little bit?" He slid his thumb inside and watched as her eyes fluttered closed. Her wetness began to coat his fingers as he moved them slowly inside of her. He wanted her to come apart but he would draw it out as much as possible.

With his free hand, he tilted her head and began to pepper the side of her neck with small kisses. He bit her neck again and smiled against her neck when he heard her begin to pant. He was going to keep that information for a future date. His erection strained against his pants and he ached to be inside her but he could wait. He moved his fingers faster and could feel her insides begin to tighten around them.

"Yes," she panted out as she spread her legs a little wider. "Yes."

"Yes, what Felicity?" he asked as he pulled away from her neck. Using his thumb, he rubbed her clit, and her eyes shot open. Her body had a light sheen of sweat and she looked at him with barely contained lust. He had never seen her look so beautiful.

"Yes, I was teasing you," she said as he rubbed her clit again causing her body to tense around him, and come apart around his fingers. "That feels so good. So...so good."

Using his fingers, he helped her ride out her orgasm. "Good, girl," he murmured as he slowed his fingers down. He removed his fingers and Felicity took them into her mouth. His teetering control was at the edge, and when her tongue swirled around them—he almost lost it.

"You're terrible," he said as he drew his hand away from mouth and kissed her. As their lips met, he could taste her on her lips, and he pulled her even closer to the edge of the counter. Moving his hips, he grazed her still covered center and they both hissed.

"I'm only as bad as you," she countered with a loopy smile. "Is that how it was back in the day?"

Steve laughed and helped her off the counter. "No, we just clubbed our women and drag them back to our cave to have our way with them."

He watched as Felicity shimmied out of her shorts. He had known that she hadn't had any underwear on but to see her standing in front of him, with her hair loose over her shoulders in just a thin tank top—he wanted to fuck her on the kitchen floor. Her legs seemed to go on forever, and he could see the evidence of her arousal on her thighs. He wanted her in the best way.

She caught his eye and curled her finger towards him. "You want to come to my bedroom?

Before she could react, he scooped up a very happy, and eager Felicity. "Hell, yes."

Felicity laughed as Steve laid her on the bed. He tickled her sides as they made their way down the hall towards her room and she hadn't stopped laughing. Earlier in the day, if someone had told her if she'd be finger fucked on her kitchen counter, and carried to her bedroom for what she hoped would be phenomenal sex she would have laughed her ass off. However, here she was, watching Steve take off his t-shirt and strip down to just his boxer briefs. She had only seen him fully clothed but to see him standing in front her, muscles flexing in a way that showed how powerful he was but also how in control he was of it—she was taken aback by it.

"You're beautiful," she said as he climbed onto the bed with her. They lay facing each other and Felicity could see the slight blush on his cheeks. He kissed her forehead. "I bet you say that to all the boys."

"Jerk." She giggled again and reached over to poke him on the side. "I'm trying to have a moment. You are beautiful."

"Well, thank you. You're beautiful too. You take my breath away," he said as he brushed her hair from her face. "When I had you on the counter, and you let me touch you like that—it drove me crazy." He pulled her towards him, and she felt his erection on her thigh.

Licking her lips, she reached down and took his length in her hand. "Did it? What did you want to do to me?" His eyes fluttered shut, and he let out a small sigh. She began to work him through his briefs and his length grew even harder under her movements.

"I wanted," he grunted as she pumped him, "to fuck you on the kitchen counter. God, I wanted to be inside of you, to feel your warmth around me. That's what I wanted to do." As he spoke those words, he looked at her with the heat that she had seen when she caught him looking at her during breakfast. As if on cue, Felicity could feel herself becoming aroused again.

"On your back, soldier," she ordered with a smile. "I want you to inside me too." Steve rolled to his back and she straddled him. As she took her tank top off, he gripped her waist and she began to move against his hardened length. He moved with her and the motion of their bodies turned her on even more. The pressure grew in her belly and she knew she was close but she couldn't make herself stop.

"I don't want to stop," she said through gritted teeth. "This feels too good."

"You don't have to, Felicity," he said as he held her hips close to him. "Let me help." She stilled as she felt his thumb begin to tease her clit. Her brain tried to hold on but when Steve used his other thumb, a jolt of pleasure shot through her and she was lost.

"That," she said as she caught her breath, "wasn't what I planned." She looked down at Steve who was looking back at her with a smirk.

"Don't be so smug, Rogers, I'm just getting started. Those briefs need to be gone," she said, sliding off to allow him the space to remove them. As he slid them off, she licked her lips as his engorged cock popped free. She spits on her hand and began to stroke him.

"Felicity," he grunted as he thrust into her hand. She twisted her wrist and began to speed up her movements. A bead of moisture appeared on the tip, and she used her thumb to swipe at it. He was sensitive to her touch and groaned. "I need to—"

"What do you need, Steve?" She asked as she released him. She straddled him again and leaned down to kiss him. The kiss was wet and sloppy, and she jumped when she felt his hand cradle her rear.

"I need to be inside you," he said gruffly as he massaged her ass. "I need to hear you say my name over and over again. I want to feel you when you come apart around me." He kissed her nose. "What do you say?"

She leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Condoms are in the night table."

He watched Felicity as she lay back on the bed with her legs spread. She slid her fingers inside and Steve almost lost it. Any coherent thoughts he had became white noise as he watched her other hand tease and pull at her puckered nipples. He rolled the condom down and stroked himself as he kneeled between her spread legs. He took the fingers from her wet entrance and Felicity sucked them dry.

"Felicity," he murmured as he laid over her. His cock slid over her hot center and if he moved he would be inside of her. She moaned as he nuzzled her neck. "This is important to me." He braced himself on his forearms and looked at her with what he hoped was everything that he felt. "You're important to me."

"I know," she responded. "I know."

He nuzzled her neck again and she giggled softly. "So," he started and rubbed his dick against her mound. "Can I?"

She nodded, and he slid into her. They both groaned loudly as he became fully seated inside her. "Oh," she gasped as he kissed her neck. He bit her neck and was rewarded when her insides clenched around his dick. He hiked a leg around his waist and began to move slowly inside of her. He was going to take as much time as possible. Felicity felt exactly how he thought she would. Warm and inviting. He pulled away from her neck and began to kiss her. He sucked on her lower lip and groaned when she clenched around him again.

"I'm not going to last if you do that again," he said as he broke their kiss and laid his forehead against hers. He pushed up to his forearms and kept his thrusts shallow as he fucked her with just the head of his dick. She opened her eyes and looked at him with a combination of lust and playfulness.

"You're teasing me," she said as she propped herself up and matched his thrusts with her own.

He grinned and leaned down, his teeth pulled at her earlobe. She clenched around him again and he was lost. He let himself down, and his thrusts became less controlled. The sounds of their pleasure filled the room. Felicity clawed at his back as he pushed deeper into her.

Taking a free hand, he found her entrance and rubbed his thumb over her swollen nub. "Can you come for me, Felicity?" She keened as her back arched. He rubbed his thumb over it again and he could feel how wet she still was for him.

"Let me hear you," he said as he peppered her neck with small kisses. He moved his hand to her rear and began to massage it. "Come on, baby."

The sound of his dick slamming into her threatened to make him come before she found the release he was trying to give her. Suddenly, he felt her stomach clench, and he knew he had found the spot he needed. He rolled his hips and Felicity let out a sensuous moan. He worked her through her orgasm, whispering into her ear that he had her, and wasn't going anywhere. She dug her heels into his back, and he was soon following her into the blissful abyss.

Sweat covered their bodies as he slowed his movements. He kissed slowly up her body pausing to pay attention to her breasts. He decided that the next time, he would spend more time with them. When he finally reached her, he brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her gently at the corner of her mouth.

"Hi," he said bashfully as she gave him a look that he wasn't sure he could explain. It was a cross between affection and something more. "I take it that was okay?"

"Shut up," she answered with a loopy grin. "You know it was. We need to do that again."

"Do we?" He started to kiss her neck again. "I was under the impression that this was a one-time thing."

"Do you want it to be a one-time thing?" she asked quietly. He stopped kissing her neck and propped himself up on his forearm.

"Felicity, I meant what I said earlier. This was important to me, and you are important to me. So, no, I don't want this to be a one-time thing."

The smile she gave him warmed his heart. Watching her lick her lips warmed another part of him as well. How she managed to make something so simple look so sexy, he'll never be able to explain to anyone.

"So," she said as she wrapped her legs around his. "Do you think we could that again? I feel like a more in-depth discussion is needed."

Felicity woke to her cellphone ringing next to her. It was Thea's ring and if she didn't answer it, she was sure that she'd be at her door within the next twenty minutes. She felt a set of arms wrap around her waist.

"Afternoon." Steve nuzzled the back of her neck and she sighed inwardly.

"Is it afternoon already?" The phone rang again and they both groaned. "It's Thea." She shivered as she felt his fingers travel down her thighs and spread them slightly. She sucked her teeth as his calloused fingers teased her clit. The phone rang again.

"You should probably answer that." He kissed the back of her neck and she pressed her back to his front.

"Are you going to let me?" Her insides went to mush as she felt his deep laugh vibrate against her back. Felicity couldn't swear it but she knew that he was enjoying this.

"I'm not stopping you, Felicity. Go ahead."

She reached over for her phone and pressed the answer button. "Hi Thea, I'm-"

Suddenly, the screen on her phone came to life and Thea's surprised face was on the screen. "Felicity, I was about to sen—Are you with Steve? I mean really with him?"

Felicity's face burned and she elbowed Steve who was laughing behind her. "Yeah, it's him."

Thea grinned, giving her a thumb's up. "Good. Good. So, you have to tell me all about it. Like is everything about him enhanced? Because I have questions."

She covered her face and shook her head. "Bye, Thea. Tell everyone I'm fine. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Wait, Felici—"

She turned the phone off and laid back against him. "Of course, that happened. Of course."

"I'm sorry about that." She could hear the smile in his voice and she knew he wasn't that sorry.

"No, you're not," she said and backed her rear into him. "You're terrible influence."

"Let me influence you some more," he said as he slid his fingers inside of her and kissed her shoulder.


	8. Never Enough Time (Mature)

"You're grumpy," Natasha said as Steve punched the heavy bag. Ignoring her, Steve threw another punch.

"I don't get grumpy," he muttered as he stopped punching the bag. He leaned over to pick up the jump rope. "I was just going over training methods with Sam."

"And by training, you mean going at him harder than anyone else?" Natasha asked with a slight tilt of her head. "You almost put a hole in the wall when you threw that punch. I still think you're grumpy."

Steve scoffed. "Sam has the wings but what if they go down? He needs to be ready and I'm not grumpy, Nat." He paused and started to skip rope.

Natasha laughed. "Sam's not some recruit who's never seen action. He can handle himself." She looked him over as he continued to skip rope. Since he started to date Felicity, there had been a lightness in his step, as if he had finally figured it out, but judging by his training with Sam, he was wound more tightly than she thought.

"Hey," she said quietly. "Take a break."

Steve stopped skipping rope and waited. "I told you that I'm not grumpy, Nat. I'm fine."

"Are you really, Steve? How's Felicity?"

He let out a slow sigh. "She's fine. We haven't seen each other in a few months and we keep missing our Skype dates."

"You guys have Skype dates?" Natasha asked incredulously. "That's kind of endearing. Do you dress up for it?"

"I know how to use it, Nat," he grumbled. "And yes, I do."

Natasha almost laughed until she saw his face fall again. She'd seen Steve when he was first realized that he had feelings for Felicity and how down he'd been when he thought she didn't feel the same way. Seeing him this bothered made her feel bad for him. She frowned as she could hear Barton calling her soft. "Steve, you knew getting involved with her didn't mean that you could see her whenever you wanted. Between what we do and what she does—you guys are trying your best. Wasn't she coming to visit later this week?"

"To work with Tony but she had to cancel due because of work. So, I don't know when I'll get to see her next."

"Then go to her."

"Nat, it's not that easy. You know that we're still tracking HYDRA bases and that I'm keeping an eye out for Bucky."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "HYDRA is ongoing, and I know that you're worried about Barnes but haven't you beat this to death already?"

He started to protest and she held up her hands. "Relax, Rogers. I'm just pointing out that maybe he doesn't want to be found and in the meantime, you could see Felicity."

Steve seemed to be pondering her proposal when their phones started to ring. Natasha looked at her phone, and a grim smile appeared on her face. "Duty calls."

"It's a pleasure to have you here, Ms. Smoak," Jarvis said as Felicity walked into the waiting elevator. "Per your request, I've removed your arrival from the logs that Captain Rogers has access to. He doesn't know that you're here."

"Thanks, Jarvis. What about Tony?" She leaned against the railing of the elevator as the doors slid shut. She closed her eyes and let her head rest softly against the wall. If anyone could see her now, they'd be amazed that she was still standing. She had planned to see Steve when she could and they both had agreed that it wasn't the right time. It wasn't until she received a video call from Natasha that she packed her bags and decided to surprise him. Natasha has told her that Steve had taken to snapping at everyone and putting them through their paces during training.

"Mr. Stark has said that he had the defibrillator at the ready in case Captain Rogers had a heart attack. He said, and I quote, "He might be shocked back into the ice."

Felicity smiled as the elevator arrived at Steve's floor. "Hopefully, he'll be happy to see me, J."

"Ms. Smoak," the automated voice started, "I believe that Captain Rogers will be thrilled."

As she stepped off the elevator, she paused to slip off her heels. If she was going to surprise him, she wanted to be as quiet as possible, and with his enhanced hearing, he'd hear her before she had a chance to surprise him

Natasha had called her two nights ago and told her about how closed off Steve had gotten.

" _Rogers will probably kill me if he knew I was telling this," she started._

" _Is everything okay, Nat?" she asked worry in her voice. "Is Steve…"_

" _Steve is Steve, Felicity. He's just acting strange, and when I asked him about it, he said, "Everything is fine." So, I'm asking you, is everything okay?"_

 _Felicity sighed and closed her eyes. They hadn't seen each other which was to be expected but the missed calls and late cancellations had begun to wear on her as well. "We haven't had any time together since he was here last, and I've cancelled the visit at least three times."_

" _Figures," Natasha grumbled._

" _Is it that bad?"_

 _Natasha laughed. "He's still focused on missions and looking for Barnes. However, if almost putting Sam through a wall is considered bad…"_

 _Before she could react, Natasha cut her off. "Relax, Felicity, Sam's fine but the heavy bags aren't. Last I checked he had gone through four of them."_

" _This is my fault," she said as she sat on the couch._

" _No, Felicity, I would say that Steve needs to stop being so damn stubborn and tell you that he misses you."_

" _Does he?" she asked as she closed her eyes._

" _It's gotten to the point where Stark doesn't even tease him about it, and that's saying a lot."_

It was at that point that she booked the first flight out of Star City. She told Thea that she could contact her if she needed to but only if she needed to. Oliver had been a different story. When she told him that she was leaving for a few days to visit Steve, his non-response had bothered her but she was tired of trying to decipher what he was trying to tell her. Instead, she relayed the information she told Thea and she was on her way.

As she reached his door, she raised her hand to knock. Along with taking her name off the visitor logs, she disabled any cameras that would give her away. A smile played on her face as she imagined the look she would get from him. Would he be surprised? Or not? She took a deep breath and knocked quickly.

She could hear him moving around in his apartment and could hear him shouting at the door. She took a step back from it and waited. Her nerves were on edge as if this was the first time she was seeing him. Granted, it had been awhile since they had seen each other and she'd be lying to herself if she didn't admit how much she missed his hugs.

 _And other things._ She blushed as she thought about the last time they were together. Their first time had been a give and take affair where they had explored each other's bodies. The last time they were together had been slow and passionate, and she had still had chills when she thought about it. It had started off as a dinner in her apartment, and a glass of red wine. She smiled. It always began with wine.

"Sorry about that, Natasha. For some reason, Jarvis seems to be down -" he started as he opened the door. "I'll meet you at-Felicity?" He was suited up and held his shield over his right arm. She hadn't seen him in uniform since their time in D.C. and she remembered thinking how good he looked in it.

"Hi," she said shyly and waved at him. He shook his head as if he couldn't believe that she was standing in front of him, heels in one hand and a small overnight bag behind her. He looked at her in silence, and for a moment she almost regretted not telling him she was coming to visit.

He placed his shield on his back and reached for her. "You are a sight for sore eyes." He took her into his arms and hugged her. The tension she was feeling immediately left her body as she leaned into him.

As she stepped back he leaned down and kissed the corner of her mouth. "Hi." It was his way of greeting her and she smiled as he did it. "What are you doing here? I mean, I'm glad to see you in person finally but I thought you couldn't get away because of Oli—"

Felicity held up her hand and shook her head. "Nat called me. Said that you've been grumpy, and that Tony has to keep replacing the heavy bags at the gym."

"Nat—she's exaggerating." He said as he stepped to the side to let her in. "It's only been two bags."

"And," she started as she turned to face him, "you almost put Sam through the wall, Steve."

"In my defense, Sam didn't plant his feet," he said with a frown on his face. "I bought him a beer afterwards!"

"I'm sure that made him feel great," she said while reaching up to cup his face. "You look good." Her face lit up with a smile as he leaned into her palm.

"So do you," he said as he kissed her hand. "How long are you staying?"

As she slid off her jacket, she shrugged. "Realistically? Three days, but it looks like I caught you at a bad time." She motioned to his suit. "HYDRA?"

"Yeah, we received word of a satellite base a few hours from here and we were going to check it out. That doesn't change anything right now. You're here and I'll be back. There's some food and wine in the refrigerator," he said. "We need to talk about how much I've missed seeing you when I come back."

She grinned. "Does that include one of your famous backrubs?" She stepped towards him and looked up at him with a wink.

He grabbed her suddenly and pulled her close. "More than that, if you're willing." The tension between them was rife with desire as their lips met. It was as if there was an electrical connection underneath them and she could feel it through every cell of her body. She didn't want to stop the kiss but she knew that if she didn't, he'd never leave.

"Steve," she said breathlessly as she broke their kiss. "You've got to go."

He pouted at her and she laughed in response. "The puppy dog eyes don't work on me, Captain." She swallowed deeply and tried not to look directly into his eyes.

He leaned his forehead against hers. "You'll be here when I get back?" The question was asked so earnestly that she was taken aback and it was as if he believed she wouldn't wait.

"I'm yours for the next 72 hours. Go save the world, Cap." He grinned broadly at her and kissed her quickly.

Natasha tried to hide the smile on her face when she saw Steve who bounded out of the elevator with a ridiculous smile on his face. The smile disappeared the moment he saw her.

"Everything okay, Rogers?" she asked as she adjusted her thigh holster. "You seem to be in a better mood."

"I'm fine, Nat," he answered quickly as he tightened his gloves. "Thank you, by the way."

Natasha wanted to tease him about it but thought better of it. She'd mess with him tomorrow. "You're welcome. Next time, don't be so stubborn."

Felicity walked through Steve's apartment, exploring each of the rooms. The bathroom was minimalist at best as she discovered once she showered. He seemed to have a penchant for huge towels or rather she was just smaller than him. When she wrapped herself in one of them, she had to pull it around her body more than once to make sure it didn't fall off her while she changed. The bedroom was just what she expected. He had a king-sized bed with plain cotton sheets where the corners were tucked into a tight military corner. Unlike most people, he didn't keep a television in his bedroom. She remembered him telling her that ever since he came out of the ice, having a television in his room was more of a distraction than not. As she slid on a pair of pajama shorts, she went to his closet to see if he had anything in there other than his suit, and khakis. The last time she wore something of his and he saw her in it, they found themselves on her couch, his t-shirt forgotten on the lampshade. She twisted her hair into a loose bun as she found a blue button up shirt to wear. She was sure that she would drown in it but as she pulled it over her head, she caught the slight scent of his aftershave and it felt like she was in heaven.

Her phone buzzed, and she smiled as she saw Thea's message.

 _Make it okay?_

She responded.

 _Of course._

 _Was he surprised?_

She smiled as she remembered the look of relief on his face when he saw her.

 _Yeah, he was._

 _Did you guys have sex yet because you were getting a little anxious, Felicity?_

Felicity's face burned.

 _No, Thea, we haven't and for the record, I haven't been that anxious._

 _LOL. You broke your Ironman coffee mug._

She laughed out loud and shook her head.

 _That's not what happened. It slipped._

 _Sure, and that's why the only part of the mug that was broken was the handle. LOL. Give him a hug for me and tell him to make sure you come back not as anxious._

Thea finished the text message with the emoji that had the tongue sticking out and the other one with the couple kissing.

Thea was one of the first people that knew about her and Steve. She had tried to keep it quiet but it was a moot point the day she accidentally opened FaceTime and Thea saw them in bed. Eventually, the rest of the team found out but while they seemed to be happy about it—Oliver just grumbled about how untrustworthy Steve could be and she left it alone.

Shutting her phone off, she decided to explore the rest of his apartment. As she walked into the living room, she took a glance at his bookshelf. She wasn't surprised to see collections of magazines from years' past but what caught her eye was a collection of sketchbooks. She remembered catching him drawing when they were in D.C. but she had never asked him about it. Pulling them out, she sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor. Part of her wanted him with her so they could look through them together because she felt that she was invading his privacy but she was curious to see what he had drawn.

Opening the first book, she recognized the Howling Commandos. Light sketches of Dum Dum Dugan and Gabriel Jones were the first few that she noticed. Both men were standing close to each other heads bowed, as they seemed to be saying a prayer. She flipped the page and stopped when she saw a drawing of Peggy Carter. Felicity remembered reading about the agent and admiring her for starting the agency and what she had accomplished in her time. She had known that they had a relationship but she was surprised to see that the drawing that he had started of her he never finished.

"All that's done from memory," said the voice from behind her. Startled, she turned to see Steve standing behind her. "They didn't keep much from the war that isn't already in the exhibit." He took his helmet off and placed it on the arm of the couch.

Embarrassment filled her body as she stood up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go through these. They were there with those little sticky notes poking out and you know how nosy I am, and –"

To his credit, Steve didn't admonish her, offering a simple smile instead. "It's okay, Felicity. I promise. I was going to show you those anyway. Did you eat?" he asked while holding his hand out to her.

"No, I haven't." And as if on cue, her stomach growled loudly. They both laughed as he pulled her into his arms. "I need to go debrief the team on what Nat and I found. It will probably be another hour or more before I'm back. So, eat, have a glass of wine. When I get back, we can talk about that book and whatever else."

"And whatever el-?" Felicity asked and then she remembered the phrase that had placed them into each other orbit. "Oh." She slowly nodded with recognition as he kissed her forehead.

"Yeah. Oh." As his arms wrapped around her, she could feel herself instantly relaxing against him. His hands were warm as they gently massaged her shoulders. "That shirt looks good on you by the way."

"This old thing?" She asked as she stepped away from him, gesturing at the shirt. "Found it hanging in your closet." A different kind of heat started to build between them as their eyes met. Clearing her throat, she stepped back further from him. "You better get going."

He gave her a cheeky grin and nodded. "I'll be back."

"Once I cleared the first floor, Rogers and I searched the rest of the house. There was nothing left except meaningless papers and random maps. We did find this," Natasha pulled out a thumb drive and tossed it to Tony.

"There might be some more information on there, but as it stands right now, that house is a dead zone." Steve finished as he stood up from the table. "Any word about Bucky?"

"No, your super soldier best friend is still a phantom, Cap," Tony said casually as he walked towards the lab. "By the way, J tells me that Smoaks is in the building. Are you going let her come play with the rest of us?"

"Tony—" Natasha started and Steve held up his hand.

Steve smiled. "I'm not sure she wants to see you, Tony. She likes interesting company." He was sure that Felicity would want to see Tony, the two of them were like two peas in a pod, but he wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

Tony turned to look at him. "I am interesting. You're you."

"Exactly," Steve finished with a nod. "See you later, Tony," he said as he walked away. He was sure that he'd hear whatever retort Tony had in the morning, but he had a singular thought.

Felicity surprising him had put a lightness in his step that hadn't been there before. With their jobs, their relationship was complicated at best, and they had to savor the time that they had with each other. He knew that she understood why he was so focused on finding Bucky, but he had to admit to himself that he hated that they hadn't been able to spend more time together. Natasha had tried to explain to him that their situation was a little more complicated than most but there were days that Steve didn't care. For once he wanted to be selfish about Felicity, about them.

As he reached his floor, he couldn't keep the grin off his face. He'd be glad to share his time with Felicity with the rest of the team but only after they got reacquainted with each other and he got her out of his dress shirt.

"Hey, Felicity, " he started as he walked into his apartment. "I need to shower first, and then if you want, we can talk." He waited for a response as he shrugged out of his sweatshirt. Hearing nothing, he walked into his living room and smiled as he found Felicity laid across his couch, asleep. Her glasses were crooked on her face, and in front of her on the coffee table, sat a partially empty wine glass. He bent down in the front of her and brushed a loose tendril of hair from her face.

She slowly opened her eyes and stretched. "Sorry, I tried to stay awake but that's a good glass of wine."

He chuckled and kissed her on the forehead. "Glad you enjoyed. Did you still want to talk?"

She scrunched up her face and shook her head. "Rain check? I'm not sure how much longer I can stay awake."

"Rain check," he answered. "Come on, sleepy head." He held out his hand to her. "Let's go to bed."

"To sleep?" she asked as she stood up. Her hair had finally come down from her bun, and the way she looked at him almost made him tell her to keep the rain check.

"Yes," he said as he took her hand. "To sleep but if you keep looking me like that, we won't get much of it."

She giggled and he added it to the list of things he would never get tired of her doing. "Sleep it is."

Felicity buried herself into the bed and smiled when she felt calloused fingers on her exposed leg. Somehow through the night, she had taken off her pajama shorts and had fallen asleep to Steve making patterns on her thigh. She rolled over to see him sitting up in the bed a manila folder in his hand. "Good Morning."

"Morning, beautiful. How'd you sleep?"

"Like a baby. Sorry about the cold feet last night." She blushed as she remembered how he had cursed when she put her feet on his thigh. He had promptly flipped her on her back and they proceeded to have a heavy make out session where he got her out of his dress shirt much to her delight. It had taken a little more time for them to calm down but once she did, she slept peacefully.

"I didn't mind," he said as he continued to look at the report in his hand. "My preliminary goal was accomplished." He looked down at her and winked. "I got you out of that shirt."

"Uh-huh," she started as she pulled herself up next to him. "What are you reading?"

"Mission report from last night. Tony cracked a thumb drive we found." He flipped the pages of the report and Felicity began to trail her fingers in circles on his thigh. He cleared his throat and gave her heated glance.

"Anything good?" She moved closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. Her fingers continued their path further up his thigh. When she reached the hem of his shorts, she heard a sharp intake of breath.

"Not really. Tony said that Jarvis is still scanning the thumb drive and he'd let me know if anything good pops up."

"So, technically," she said as she straddled him. She sighed as she felt his arousal brush against her center. "You can put that report down and we can finish what we started last night." She nuzzled against his neck and smiled as she heard him put the folder down.

"Now why would I want to do that?" he asked as she pulled back and tilted her head. "I'm perfectly fine with what happened last night." He gave her a cheeky grin as he normally would and Felicity knew that he was teasing her.

"Are you though?" she asked as she moved slightly against him. "I think if I hadn't decided that we needed to get some sleep, we would've finished what we started last night. I seem to remember someone pouting with big blue puppy dog eyes."

Felicity laughed as Steve pouted at her. He was irresistible like this and damn him, he knew it. This was the playful side of him that she liked the most. "Just like that. Pouting and big blue eyes. Terrible combination."

As he placed his hand on her waist and squeezed it gently, she could feel the familiar heat start to grow inside of her as his other hand covered the expanse of her back. She had her share of dates, and even a few boyfriends here and there. However, the way Steve touched her sent chills to her core.

"I'm not that bad," he muttered as she leaned down to kiss him. As soon as their lips met, the kiss became more urgent and needy. The hand on her back slipped underneath the strap of her bra, and she smiled against his mouth as he unhooked it. Once the strap had slipped off her shoulder, he moved his hand to her right breast, and she sighed as he found the hardened nipple with his calloused fingers. As he broke their kiss, she could barely catch her breath as he peppered kisses on the side of her neck. With every kiss, he bit her neck and soothed the slight pain with the warmth of his tongue. The hand on her waist tightened as he moved her closer to him. Eager to feel him against her body, she slipped the other strap from her shoulder and pressed herself against his bare chest. Rocking her hips against him, she could feel his cock pressing against her and his hand splayed against her bare back.

"I missed you so much," he said as he pulled away from her neck. "Been thinking about this more than I probably should've." She shifted in his lap as he teased her still covered center.

"I missed you, too," she said as she moved her hips against him again. He grunted and gripped her hip tighter. "We should finish what we started last night."

Steve rolled the condom down as Felicity stood up and slid her panties off. His mouth salivated as he thought about the ways he would wake her up later in the day. As she kneeled in front him, he reached for her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, he shifted and slid home. They both shuddered at their bodies' connection. He was lost in how warm she felt as he thrust into her. His dreams about being with her were nothing compared to the real thing. She slowly rolled her hips and groaned as he ran his hands up and down her bare back. Words were not necessary as she looked into his eyes. Her emotions were bare to him and while he wasn't sure that if he wanted to put a title on his, he knew his eyes mirrored hers. As he gripped her rear, Felicity leaned forward and grabbed the railing of the headboard. Her movements slowed as she pressed her lips to his. Their tongues dueled for position as he folded his legs to lift her higher into his lap. He adjusted to the new angle and began to match her slower movements. Her arousal coated his lap as he could feel how tight she still was. The sounds of their bodies meeting border lined on obscene as they moved in sync with each other. She broke their kiss and leaned her head against his shoulder—her breath hot against his flushed skin. He moved his hand towards her center, and slowly flicked her clit. He was rewarded with a hot kiss against his neck as he flicked it again.

"Don't stop," she panted as she looked at him with a flash of pleasure in her eyes. "Please don't stop."

The way Felicity looked at him nearly drove him crazier with lust. He tightened his arms around her waist and gently held her in place as he thrust into her. Her breath came out in quick puffs as she leaned her forehead against his. Felicity rolled her hips again and he could feel the familiar heat grown at the base of his back. He was close but he wanted to come with Felicity so that he could feel the moment she came apart.

"Felicity," he started as she rolled her hips again. Another movement like it, he knew that he would climax well before he wanted. His head rolled back as she began to pepper his chest with small kisses, and as she reached his hardened nipple, he grunted as her warm tongue swirled around it. "I need—"

"What do you need, Steve?" she asked between the kisses on his chest. Instead of answering, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and flipped her onto her back.

"This," he answered as he hooked his arm underneath her bent knee. The new position opened her up to him and he couldn't get enough. Her back arched as he moved deeper inside her. She was still wet, and he could feel her insides grasping at him each time he pulled out and pushed into her.

"Harder. I need you to go harder," she gasped as he could feel her fingers cover her mound. While he enjoyed making love to her—he enjoyed it even more when she asked him to let go. The first time he had been worried that he would her hurt her but once she reassured him and told him that she trusted him—he enjoyed it.

"Are you sure?" he asked between kisses. She felt so good as he moved slowly inside of her and when she ran her fingers down his back—he had his answer. He buried her head against her shoulder and began to fuck her. Felicity moaned with pleasure as his thrusts became more determined. The bed hit the wall in his room with just enough noise to startle them both. He braced himself on his forearm and grinned at Felicity whose own smile matched his. Steve glanced down to where their bodies met and groaned as he watched her fingers rub her clit. As she brought her hands up, he took it and placed it above her head. Her wrists were so small that he could cover them both with one of his hands. As her insides became more pliable, he could still feel how wet she still was and once he felt her stomach tense up, he knew he was close to bringing her to her climax.

He leaned down to kiss her again and shuddered when he felt her nails go down his back. Every nerve ending was on fire as they moved together. Felicity suddenly tensed underneath him, he knew he had achieved her climax. He worked her through her orgasm still pushing into her and hoping for more. He slowed his movements and began to kiss her as softly as he had before. He was still moving inside her when her body tensed up again.

"Another one?" he asked as he felt her orgasm roll over her. She could only nod as he worked her through it. She opened herself up further for him and pressed her heels into his back. He gripped the pillow near her head and followed her into the same bliss.

"Two times?" he asked he slowly began to pull out and kissed her gently at the corner of her mouth. He grinned at her and nodded as she grinned back him.

Laughing, she shook her head at him. "Don't pat yourself on the back, Rogers. It's just been a long time since we've been together."

"Sure," he said. "If that what lets you sleep at night—"

He grunted as she pinched him on the forearm. "I'll sleep like a baby."

"Damn right you will. What do you say to a hot shower with me?"

She propped herself up and kissed him. He immediately felt himself starting to become aroused again. "How much will we actually shower though?" she asked while wrapped her leg around his. His cock twitched again as she rubbed her still wet mound against it. He groaned with a combination of frustration and lust. He wanted her again badly, and an image of him taking her from behind in his bathroom made a shower even more enticing.

"How about we try our best?" he asked with a wicked grin as he leaned down and captured her lips with his.

Felicity wrapped her hair in a towel as she watched Steve step out of the shower. During their shower, he had been so attentive to her as she rinsed her hair, as she rinsed the body wash from herself. Her pussy still throbbed from their early morning sex, and when he fingered her in the shower. She had ground against his hand and held on for dear life he drove her to another orgasm. Her body was still buzzing and it didn't help matters that he caught her staring at him in the mirror.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked as he crossed the bathroom to stand behind her.

She met his eyes and smiled. "I was thinking that we look good together."

"Uh-huh. We do, but what are you really thinking about?" He leaned down and trailed kisses against her bare shoulder. She held her breath as his hand went towards her front and found her newly aroused. She could hear how wet she was as she laid her head back on his chest and watched as his fingers moved underneath the towel she used to dry off.

"Thinking about how you made me come in the shower. I nearly lost my mind in there," she said quietly as his thumb flicked her tender clit. "I should stay away longer." Once he removed his fingers from her, she took the digit in her mouth and sucked it dry.

"Maybe," he murmured as she tilted her neck to give him access to it. Her hands drew into fists as he bit her neck lightly and kissed her softly. His dick was hard against her rear and she ached to have him inside her again. Allowing him to spread her legs, she leaned over the counter slightly and braced herself as he slid into now soaked pussy. He gripped her waist and began to pound into her. She flattened her palms and pushed back on him causing him to mutter under his breath. They had never had sex in this position before and she could barely contain herself as new sensations filled her body.

She wanted more.

Needed more.

She lifted her leg looking for a flat surface to rest it so she could take more of him.

She felt his hand grip her thigh and place her foot on the curve of the trashcan. "Better?" he asked never breaking his stroke.

Barely able to make sound other than a moan of pleasure, she just nodded. She twitched as he flattened his palm and rubbed her hardened nipple against it. It was like a shockwave hit her body the moment he did it.

"Oh," she gasped as his thrusts became needier. His grip on her waist tightened and she could tell he was getting close.

Gripping the edge of the counter, she pushed back into him and looked up into the mirror. His eyes met hers as they moved together. Her stomach tightened and she groaned as she began to reach her climax.

"Felicity," he started as he ran his hands up and down her back. "I'm almost there." His fingers intertwined in her hair, and he pulled it back slightly. She looked at him over her shoulder and nodded. "It's okay."

She knew that he was always worried that he would hurt her during sex but, to tell the truth, even when she told Steve to let go with her, he was always very gentle—even at moments when she asked him to be a little rough.

She reached down and started to rub her clit. Throwing her head back, a wave of pleasure overtook her as she finally reached her climax along with Steve. He leaned over her and placed wet kisses on her back. As he slid out of her, she ached to feel him inside her again but she was sure her body couldn't take another moment. She could wait. She turned to face him and waited while he took the condom off and threw it in the trash.

"So, what exactly was the point of that shower?"

He laughed and pulled her towards him. "To get both of our bodies relaxed for an afternoon together. Preferably in the bed."

She snuggled against him and giggled as he kissed her nose. "So, what was that on the counter?"

"Really great sex, and an excuse to get back in the shower?"

"Only if you keep your hands to yourself…" she started as his tongue lit a trail of fire on the side of her neck.

"You know I'd been lying if I said that I would, and besides, I'm always honest."

"I'll be right back," he called over his shoulder as Felicity looked over her tablet at him. She had been sitting cross-legged on his bed and had tried to convince him again that Rear Window was the better movie. "For the record," he said, "Birds is still the superior Hitchcock movie." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Shrugging his sweatshirt on, he couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face. She had a way of making him feel at ease that he didn't want it to end. When she mentioned earlier that she should stay away more often, part of him wanted to ask her to stay with him permanently. Arguably, it would be a huge step for them and maybe it would be hard for her to run the operations for Oliver but she would be in the tower with him.

As he reached the kitchen, he thought of the ways he would ask her. Felicity always appreciated when he was upfront with her but this was different than asking for more Kevlar in his suit or increasing the voltage in Natasha's weapons. This was him asking her to move in with him. He took two glasses from his cabinet and ran the faucet.

"Captain Rogers," Jarvis said interrupting his thoughts. "Agent Romanoff is at your door. You had asked not to be disturbed unless it was important and—"

"It's okay, Jarvis. You can let her in." He filled the two glasses and waited for Natasha.

"You know it's been a couple of days, Rogers," Natasha said as she found him in the kitchen. "You promised Tony and he's been talking about Felicity like she's a toy. Something about how you won't share. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it made me, and even Barton, feel a little uncomfortable."

Steve grinned at her comment. He and Felicity had left his apartment to see the rest of the team. Barton had made inappropriate jokes at their expense, and Felicity had given it right back to him, and she and Natasha had worked out together. Thor had been his usual self when he called her Lady Smoak, and she had to keep reminding him to just call her Felicity. Tony had been away on S.I. business and had been pouting ever since.

"He'll live. Jarvis said that it was important—"

"Yeah, it is." She laid large manila envelope on the counter. "A friend of a friend saw Barnes in South America. He's been holed up for a few weeks and doesn't seem to be moving on anytime soon."

He placed the partially filled glasses on the counter and reached for the envelope. He knew that if he opened the envelope, he'd pour over the contents and immediately want to leave to go after him, but there was Felicity.

"Hey," Natasha said as if she could read his mind. "You know that you don't have to go. I can go, and let you know what I find out. You can stay here with her."

"You know I can't do that, Nat. I appreciate it but Bucky is my responsibility."

"What about Felicity?" Natasha asked quietly. "I think you finally figured it out, Steve. You have someone that you clearly care about and she cares about you. You don't have to take all of this on by yourself. Let us carry the burden sometimes and as much as you annoy me, we are still teammates."

Steve took the envelope and flipped it over in his hand. It would be so easy to let this go but he knew that he'd never forgive himself if he didn't at least investigate it. "No, Natasha, I'll take care of it."

She sighed loudly. "If you insist." She tapped her fingers on the counter and shook her head. "Tell Felicity I said hello."

Placing the envelope underneath his arm, Steve balanced a plate of fruit and glasses as he walked back into his bedroom. Asking Felicity to move in with him would have to be tabled for another day. The information that Natasha's contact had provided was good and by the looks of it, he could be gone longer than usual which meant that he didn't know when he would be able to see her again.

"What's up, buttercup?" she asked brightly as she looked up from her tablet. Her face clouded over as she noticed his. "Steve, what's wrong?"

"Natasha came by," he said as he handed her the glass and plate of fruit.

"Ooh, grapes," she said as she plucked one from the bunch. "Everything okay?"

"Yes and no." As he sat down, he looked at the manila folder in his hand. "Natasha found out some information about Bucky."

"That's good?" she asked as she took another grape. "Wait, that's not good? I thought you were looking for a solid lead."

"I was and she found it." He handed her the envelope. "She said that he's been seen in South America."

Felicity opened the envelope and looked the contents over. "This says he's been in the same place for at least a few weeks and doesn't seem to in any hurry to leave. You have to leave, don't you?" Her face fell a little and his heart broke.

"Yeah," he said as she laid her head on his shoulder. They sat in silence and intertwined their fingers together. "I don't know when I'll be back. I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for, Steve? It's Bucky."

"But you're here right now," he said. "And now, I have to leave again."

"One of the many things I lo-like about you, Steve, is your ability to put everyone else's needs ahead of your own."

He laid his head back on his headboard and sighed. "Sometimes, I get tired of it."

"Like I told you before, it's a normal to feel that way. It's human." She patted his leg.

"Not for Captain America."

"Maybe not, but for the pride of Brooklyn, and holder of the best mini-golf record in Starling City, Steve Rogers, it is."

He laughed at her title for him and he felt a little better about his feelings about going after Bucky.

"Felicity Smoak," he said as he reached for her. "What did I do to deserve you?"

She let him lift her to his lap, and smiled as he ran his hands down her back. "Look really great in your uniform? Be a really good kisser?"

"I think all of the above," he said. "But really? Thank you for being amazing."

She flipped her hair and smiled at him. "It's what I do. Now go save Bucky."


	9. A Noble Mistake & A New Beginning

Felicity padded into the kitchen, the late afternoon sun peeked through the curtains. Her body was still pleasantly sore after she spent the day with her boyfriend in the bed. She smiled at the thought of calling Steve Rogers her boyfriend. Her mother would freak out once she found out that her daughter was sleeping with Captain America. If she was being honest with herself, she was still freaking out about it.

But here she was, in his kitchen, in his shirt, getting ready to have another cup of coffee. They had fallen asleep after he showed her what he could do with his mouth other than kiss her and she had to beg off when their last orgasm had left her barely coherent.

"Speedy recovery periods," she said under her breath, her toes curling on the cool kitchen tile. He was insatiable and she couldn't get enough of him either. Their first time together after she had arrived, she had sat in his lap, holding his gaze as they made each other call out each other's name. When the bed had hit the wall and he had looked at her with lust-she knew she was a goner. They had sex in his bathroom and she had cried out from pleasure each time he pounded into her. He had yanked her hair back slightly and Felicity bit her lip remembering the sensation of it as it raced through her body. She shook her head to clear the thoughts from her head.

"Just in here to get coffee, Felicity," she said to no one as she reached for the container of Sumatra he picked up for her second day with him. "Stop thinking of all the different surfaces you want to screw your boyfriend."

"I don't know, Felicity," he said as he leaned against the doorframe. "The counter is right there. We haven't tried that yet."

Her face burned as her hand wrapped around the can of coffee. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Just long enough to hear you said you were thinking of all the different surfaces where you wanted to screw your boyfriend." He answered as he walked into the kitchen. "You know, I don't think you've ever called me that." He grinned broadly.

"Hmm?" She asked as she placed the can on the counter. "Called you what?"

He reached and pulled her close to him. As she looked up at him, she was struck by his soft smile that she noticed only seem to appear when she was around. He ran his thumb along the bottom of her lip.

"You've never called me your boyfriend."

"No? Then who have I been sleeping with for the last 56 hours?"

"An imposter, I think. He can't get enough of you though. I had to kick him out. Figured it was time for your boyfriend to have some time with you. I don't like to share." Felicity giggled as he poked her side.

"No?" She brushed the hair out of her face.

He ran his fingers down her arms and she could feel the goose bumps rising on them. "No. In fact, the imposter, when I kicked him out, told me that he didn't get a chance to have you on the kitchen counter and he'd willingly give that opportunity to me. You know since I'm your boyfriend and all."

"What about coffee?" She asked as he started to unbutton the shirt she was wearing. She smiled remembering his enthusiasm whenever she wore something of his. As he reached her naked chest, a sigh escaped her as he gently massaged her breast, pulling at the puckered nipple. Her toes curled again as the sensation made her still throbbing center ache with need.

"The imposter told me to tell you that the coffee could wait because he knew that our time would be limited because..."

"You have to leave?" she asked catching his eye. The question sounded sadder than she intended.

"You know I don't want to, right?" Felicity nodded as his hand gripped her waist. The warmth of his hand flowed through the lower half of her body.

"I know but you have to. He's your best friend."

"And you're my best girl."

She smiled brightly at his comment. "Your best girl?"

"Absolutely." He took her face into his hands and kissed her softly. "You know what else that imposter told me?"

"What?" she asked as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her to his waist. His hard length brushed against her and she shifted against him.

"He told me," he said as he placed her on the counter. The cool surface was a shock to her system and she shivered in response. "To make sure that you didn't forget about me when I'm gone." His shirt hung open exposing her to his warm hands.

"He doesn't have to worry about that," she said as his fingers teased her folds and she tensed under his touch.

"You're sore?" A look of concern appeared on his face.

"I'm not that sore," she said as she scooted towards the end of the counter. Wrapping her legs around him, she licked her lips. "I'm fine but I have to be honest though-that imposter and I have had a lot of sex. Did you know we had sex in your bathroom?"

As he looked her over, she could see that he was remembering their time as well.

"Did you? Did you like it?" He asked while his finger teased her clit. He slid the other one inside of her and she could hear how wet she had become as his finger moved slowly inside her.

"Yup. I let him spread my legs and take me from behind. It felt so good," she enunciated, her gaze burning into his. "I lifted my leg to take more of him and..." She bit her lip as his fingers began to move with more purpose inside of her. She ached with desire as images of their time in the bathroom flooded her mind.

"Jackass," he muttered as he looked at her and licked his lips. "What else did he do?"

"Every time our eyes met, he pounded into me harder and I think I came at least three times. The way he gripped my hips made me weak. I let him pull my hair a little too."

Steve shifted against her and she moaned at the contact. He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "You liked that?"

She nodded and reached down to massage his cock. He twitched in her grasp and took a deep breath. Pushing herself up, she tugged at his earlobe with her teeth. "I loved it."

"Come here," he growled as he crashed his lips against hers. Felicity was struck at how intense their kiss was. He was still hungry for her just as she was for him. He moved his hand from her center and ran his hands up and down her back. He shuddered against her as she quickly pulled down his sweatpants. As his hardened cock popped free, Felicity took it into her hands and began to stroke him.

He gripped her rear and she jumped at his touch. She wanted to feel him inside of her but as his thrusts became more urgent, she wasn't sure he could wait.

"Steve," she said as he began to kiss her neck leaving a trail of heat across it. "We should probably..."

He looked at her with wild eyes and then shook his head. "Yeah."

Steve started to kiss Felicity again as she tightened her legs around his waist. He had a hard time keeping his hands to himself whenever they were together and since her arrival, he had gotten worse much to Felicity's enjoyment. As he slid into her, she drew her legs up and it opened her up further for him. The sensation was euphoric as he began to slowly move his hips against her. Since this was going to be his last time seeing her, he wanted to remember it.

"Oh," she said as her head rolled on her neck. He laid his head against her forehead. Her eyes were closed as she bit her lower lip. She always did it when they were having sex and he had to coax her to open her eyes.

"Felicity, baby, open your eyes," he said as he kissed the corner of her mouth. "I want to see you." He rolled his hips again and her eyes shot open. "There she is. Hey, beautiful."

Although their position left no room for modesty, he noticed that she blushed at his compliment. He was going to miss her more than he thought he would. He could feel her begin to tense under him and he slowed down even more.

"Hey," she said breathlessly. She licked her lips and tilted her hips towards him. "You feel so good. Slow down," she whispered against his lips.

He was happy to oblige as he slowly withdrew from her and slowly pushed back into her. Her cries of pleasure became louder as he continued and her stomach began to contract. He knew she was close but he wanted to give her a parting gift. He pulled out of her and as she started to protest, he held up his hand as he stroked her stomach. "Not going anywhere."

He kept his eyes on hers as he kneeled in front of her. Felicity, apart from a girlfriend from his old neighborhood, had been the only girl he'd gone down on. The old girlfriend had taught him what she liked and when he went down on Felicity earlier in the day, her reaction would stay with him while he was gone. Pressing small kisses along her thigh, he never broke from her stare as he reached his prize. He slid his fingers inside her and started to suck on the swollen nub gently.

"Oh my God," she gasped and he smiled against her. Her thighs shifted against his head, tightening, as he placed his hand on her stomach to keep her in place.

"Try not to move," he mumbled as he continued his plan.

"It's kind of hard," she gasped. "When-"

Before she could finish her thought, he swirled his tongue around her nub and gave it another gentle pull.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as Steve began to lap at her, her fingers ran through his hair as she came down from her climax. She tasted so good and he made note that when he got back, it would be the first thing they'd do. As he stood up, he brought a decidedly flustered Felicity towards him. He brushed her tousled hair from her face and kissed her. He was still hard but the blissful look on her face as he broke their kiss was enough to satisfy him.

"Hey, you didn't..." She frowned and pointed at him.

He shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time and besides, this was about you."

She tilted her head and gave him a loopy smile. "Even during sex, you're concerned about everyone else's needs." She took his cock into her hand and positioned him at her entrance. He locked eyes with her and entered her again. She grasped at his back as he moved inside of her. She had gotten even wetter and he couldn't get enough.

"Keep doing that," she whispered in his ear as he began to pick up speed. "Are you close?"

All he could do is nod as the warm pressure began at the base of his back. Felicity's breath came out in short pants and he knew she was ready. He buried his face against her neck and gave a final thrust. Felicity milked him for all he was worth and he lazily kissed her as he slid out of her. They stood together for a moment as they both tried to catch their breath.

"I'm going to miss you," she said. "And not only because of the great sex..."

"And here I was starting to think you were using me for my body..." he said with a wink.

"Well, you do have a good body, Steve, but I'm going to miss this. We have a good thing."

"We do and I'm coming back. Nothing could keep me away too long." He kissed the corner of her mouth and looked at her with what he hoped was everything he was trying to say but couldn't voice.

She nodded and gave him one of the brightest smiles he'd ever seen. He held her hand as she stepped down from the counter. "Now that we've said that, I still need that cup of coffee." He held his breath as she took his slightly flaccid cock in her hand. She gave it a slow stroke and he bit back a groan. She had made a comment about his recovery each time they'd had sex but the way she was looking at him, he had a feeling they were both in for a long but pleasurable goodbye.

Felicity chuckled as Thea looked back her with her mouth hanging open. "Thea, you know you can blink. Your coffee is getting cold."

Thea put the mug on the table and shook her head. "You tell me about sex with Steve Rogers and how amazing it was and you expect me to drink coffee? That's not how this works, Felicity."

She shrugged and took another sip of coffee. She and Thea hadn't had a chance to catch up since she'd gotten back from her impromptu visit more than a month ago. Thea had pressed her for details while they were in the lair but she didn't want to make things more awkward than they were.

"So, you're telling me that Captain America, aka 'The Big Golden Retriever', is amazing in bed?"

Felicity blushed and nodded. "He is. He surprised me, Thea. We've always had great sex but when he found out that he had to leave, it was like someone had flipped a switch. Our last time the night before he had to leave was..."

"Amazing?" Thea said with a wry smile.

"Yeah, amazing. It was like he wanted to make sure that I knew how he felt."

"You mean, you didn't know?"

"Didn't know what?"

"That he's in love with you," Thea answered matter of factly. "I'd say he's been in love with you since your first date."

Felicity scoffed. Sure, she and Steve had great chemistry and obviously cared for each other but love? It wasn't even on the spectrum with them.

"Steve's not in love with me Thea. Trust me."

Thea rolled her eyes and grabbed her phone. "I want to show you something. You sent this to me after you got back. Look at this picture and tell me that he isn't in love with you." Even before Thea handed the phone to her, she knew which picture she was going to show her. On Steve's last day, as they had said their goodbyes, Natasha had taken a picture of them. When she sent it to her, she was taken aback at how he looked at her. His hand had been warm against her face and he promised to call her often and would get back as soon as he could.

"He's not, Thea. He hasn't said anything about it." She handed Thea's phone back to her.

She laughed and patted her leg. "He's still a man, Felicity. Sometimes it takes a little push. Trust me when I say, he is in love with you."

Felicity shrugged and took another sip of her coffee. A small part of her wanted to believe Thea, but the louder part of her told her that the idea of her and Steve being more than what they were was unthinkable.

"Anyway," Thea said as she stood from the couch. "Did you want to get lunch? I'm dying to hear about how much sex you guys had in three days."

"Here you go," Natasha said handing Steve a small box. "The background check cleared, and Felicity now has access to the tower, labs, and your apartment."

Steve opened the box and smiled at the set of keys he had made for her. "Was a background check really necessary?"

"No, but Tony wanted to see if, and I quote, 'Smoaks had any compromising pictures I could torture Rogers and his perfect teeth with', and I told him that if he did, I'd release the photo of him in the bear mascot costume from college. He wasn't always this slick."

Steve laughed. "You don't really have that, do you?"

"No, but he doesn't know that and besides any pictures that are compromising of Felicity, I'm sure you've already seen them."

Steve choked on his coffee and immediately turned red. He thought about the picture Felicity had sent him since he'd been gone-she had 'borrowed' one of his t-shirts, tied it at her midriff, and had worn a pair of boy shorts that had shown off her legs. Before her, he hadn't thought that he'd become a leg man, but she had effectively changed his mind.

Natasha grinned as she sat down. "You're blushing. So, she has sent you something. She has a hot body so it's not out of the realm of possibility that she would. Something to keep those juices flowing and keep you warm in your bunk at night," Natasha teased.

Steve said nothing as he took another sip of coffee. He, Natasha, and Sam had been stuck in an old Stark home in São Paulo for more than a month, and he missed her. He would never tell Natasha but that picture of Felicity had gotten him through many nights since he'd last seen her. When they had talked later that day, she had been nervous about sending something to him.

" _Are you sure it's not too much?"_

 _Steve gaped at her. "I'm sure you have too many clothes on."_

 _Even though the Skype quality was terrible, he could see her blushing. "Steve!"_

 _He laughed and shrugged. "I'm just saying if you're going to send your boyfriend a picture like that-the fewer clothes, the better."_

 _She stuck out her tongue and he laughed even harder. "Truthfully, you look beautiful. You always do. Although I could use a little more of your -" Now it was his turn to blush. The boy shorts she wore in the picture were short enough to tease the curve of her rear._

 _She leaned closer to the screen, and if he squinted, he could almost see down her blouse. "A little more of what?"_

" _Your backside," he said finally. When did he become interested in that? Probably around the same time of he became obsessed with her legs._

 _Felicity chuckled and tilted her head, heat filling her eyes. "Let me see what I can do."_

Later that same evening as he and Sam went over their plan to corner Bucky, his phone had buzzed with a text. When he saw it was from her, he waited until he was done planning with Sam before opening it. When he saw what she had sent, he called her immediately.

 _She was laughing by the time she answered the phone. "Is that better?" She was at home and was wearing one of the borrowed t-shirts. An olive green one this time._

 _He licked his lips and gave her a wicked smile. "Yes. But you didn't show me your front."_

 _She flipped her hair and smiled back at him. "You see my front all the time. This was something different."_

 _He looked at the picture and nodded. "Yes, this is." She had sent him a photo of her completely naked, back to the camera, in a pair of stiletto black heels. Her legs were shapely but his eyes drifted to her pert backside. "I need to come home."_

" _Yes, you do, but Bucky first and then back to me."_

Steve looked up as Natasha snapped her fingers. "Barnes is awake. Did you want to talk to him?"

He rolled his neck and stood from the table. "Have to. He's not going to talk to anyone else but me."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "One of these days taking everything on is going to bite you in the ass and not let go."

"Maybe," he said over his shoulder. "Maybe not, but the quicker we wrap this up, the sooner we can leave."

Steve nodded to the Sam who had taken a chair in front of Bucky's room. "Heard our guest is awake."

Sam glared at the closed door. "He's awake and pissing me off." He stood up as Steve reached for the door. "You're not going in there alone. He's not the same guy you knew, Steve."

He frowned as he remembered the confusion on his friends face when they cornered him in the alley. Bucky had fought back against them and it wasn't until Natasha had shocked his arm that he was able to knock him out. Tony had given them a sedative to use and for most of the day, he had been asleep. There had been a ferocity to him that reminded him of the Winter Soldier but he also remembered the man who had saved him from the Potomac. He had to at least try.

"He's still in there, Sam, and if he isn't, I'm probably the only one who can stop him," he said grimly.

"He nearly killed you in D.C. and we're supposed to trust someone like that?"

"Maybe not, but Bucky saved my life in more ways than one growing up and he's my best friend. I can't leave him behind. He would do the same for me," he said as he started to open the door.

Sam sighed loudly. "Dammit, I know I asked before but do you practice these speeches or does it just come naturally?"

Steve shrugged. "When I figure it out, I'll let you know."

"At least, let me come in there with you. You might need back up," Sam said as he followed him into the room.

"Duck!" Sam shouted suddenly and he stepped to the side as a large chair crashed into the wall right above their heads.

"Let me go!" his friend roared from the corner of the room, his eyes flashing with fear and confusion.

Steve stood up slowly, his hands up. To his right, he could hear Sam muttering under his breath and heard Natasha running down the hallway.

"I don't want to fight you, Bucky-"

"I told you before, I don't know who Bucky is," he said as his eyes darted side to side, the agitation in his body clearly seen.

He heard Natasha rush into the room and he held up his hand to stop her. If he knew her, she was ready to take him down.

"Your name is James Buchanan Barnes. We grew up together in Brooklyn. Remember when I kept getting my ass kicked behind that movie theater?"

Bucky blinked at him furiously as if he was trying to clear his vision. "You were an assignment and I failed."

Steve shook his head. "You remember me from the bridge. C'mon, Buck. The World Fair?"

His friend who was still crouched in a fighting position shook his head again. "When Lily and her girlfriend ignored you?"

A slow smile spread on his face. "Didn't you take them home?"

He saw a flash of recognition on his friend's face. "Nah, I sent them on their way but by the time I got back you had disappeared."

"Yeah, and you know the rest."

Bucky frowned and stood up, his fists uncurling. "Yeah, I do. Sorry about the wings." He nodded over towards Sam who started towards him.

"Sam," Steve said as he grabbed him. Bucky seemed to be himself but he wasn't sure.

"We can't trust him, Cap," Sam said as he stepped back. "That guy's not your friend. Not anymore."

Steve looked over at Bucky whose eyes seemed to become unfocused. "Buck?"

He didn't answer and shook his head again as if he was trying clear it. His hands curled into tight fists.

From the corner of his eye, he heard Natasha curse and reach for her escrima sticks.

He held up his hands. "I just want to talk. We can help you."

Bucky was stock still and stared back at him as if he didn't recognize him. His fists were still curled as he started to advance towards them.

"Yeah, I don't think he's ready to talk," Sam said. Steve nodded and took his shield from his back to brace himself.

Bucky ran at them full speed, anger evident on his face. Steve brought his shield up as Bucky's punch connected. The loud sound of his arm against his shield filled the large room. The impact pushed him back and he kicked out at him. As Bucky stepped back, Steve heard Natasha throw one of her darts at his arm. He caught it with his free hand and crushed it.

To his left, Sam threw the remnants of the chair at Bucky and punched him in the side. Bucky grunted and turned to face Sam. The distraction was enough as Natasha threw another one of her darts at him. It landed on his arm and shorted it out.

Seeing his chance, Steve rushed Bucky, grabbing him by the shoulders and slamming him to the floor. "Bucky!" he yelled as Natasha ran out the room to grab the restraints. His friend struggled against him and glared at him with a detached coldness he'd seen on the bridge. This time it was marked with hatred. "I need you to calm down. We just want to help you."

"Steve," Natasha said as she came back into the room. He looked up and saw that she had the reinforced restraints in her hands. He nodded and brought Bucky to his feet. He pushed him against the wall, careful to leave his hands free for the restraints. "Do you have the sedative?"

"Doubled the dosage," Sam answered as he handed him the syringe. When Steve looked over at him, he shrugged.

"This man tried to kill us more than once. He should be thankful it's not more."

"So, you were able to get through to him?" Felicity asked as she sat back on the bed.

Steve sighed loudly and ran his fingers through his hair. "Barely. He started to remember some things about his past but I'm not sure how deep HYDRA has their claws in him, Felicity." He looked back at the screen and saw his fear reflected on her face.

"I'm sorry, Steve. Truly."

"I know. Now that we have him though, we can come home. Wanda thinks she can get through to him and at this point, I'm willing to try anything."

"Good. That's really good. I'm sure it'll help. I'm not sure how whatever Wanda does works but if it'll bring Bucky back..."

"Exactly. Felicity, once we get him settled, do you think we could talk? In person? I wanted to ask you something." The keys he received earlier in the day still sat in his pocket. With Bucky secured, he felt better about his decision to ask her to move in with him.

"Sure," she said cautiously. "Everything okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah! Yes, everything is fine." He smiled at her, trying to clear his mind about his friend. "I just wanted to talk."

She narrowed her eyes and scrunched her nose. "Uh-huh. If you say so..."

"I do, love. Thanks for answering my call."

She grinned at him and nodded. "Thanks for thinking of me." She blew him a kiss.

"Always."

Steve and Natasha sat in the SUV following the one holding Bucky while Sam flew above them monitoring for anyone following them. They had received notification that HYDRA was in the area but hadn't had any contact.

"Sam," Steve said as the convoy took a sharp left, "are you picking up anything?"

"No, all quiet up here but..."

Before he could finish, another SUV rammed into the one carrying Bucky. Crashing glass and metal screeched as the SUV slide into a building.

"Sam!" Steve shouted as their truck was slammed into by another vehicle. He gripped the console to try and keep himself centered as their car spun around. Once it came to a stop, he looked at Natasha who shook her head to indicate she was okay.

"On it!" Steve heard as his eyes zeroed in on Sam as he went after the men who ran into them. He grabbed his shield and kicked out the windshield. He held his hand out to Natasha, their eyes surveying for any sign of their attackers.

"There!" Natasha shouted as two men got out of the vehicle that hit Bucky and ran down the street. Anger coursed through him as he and Natasha sprinted after the men. They had been so careful about letting anyone know their location but with HYDRA inserting themselves in the agency-you didn't know who to trust. He saw the men split up and Natasha took a hard left to cut one of them off.

Steve followed one of the men, he ducked as he quickly turned and fired on him. He counted as the man reloaded and ran at him full speed. He threw his shield at him, and flipped the man on his back, knocking him out.

"Natasha," he called out as he flipped the man over to put restraints on him. "Check in."

"I'm fine, Rogers. The idiot took a pill before I could get to him. Hail Hydra," she said with exasperation. "I'm heading back to the truck to check on our guest."

"Dammit. All right, check in when you get there," he muttered. "Sam, any luck?"

"Negative, Cap. They got away."

Steve grumbled in frustration as he brought the man to his feet. The man groaned as he started to regain consciousness.

He pushed him against the wall. "Start talking."

The man glared at him with contempt and chuckled. "Do you think I would answer to you, Captain Rogers? You're nothing."

"Why were you after me?"

The man looked at him with mirth. "You? We care nothing about you or your team. We just want our property back. We want the Winter Soldier."

His fist curled in frustration as he punched the wall near the man's head, leaving a fist sized imprint in the brick. "He's not an assassin anymore."

"Are you sure about that, Captain?"

Steve glared at the man as his earpiece went off. "Steve, Barnes's gone. He broke the restraints. He's gone."

His stomach dropped as his prisoner began to laugh. "See, Captain Rogers, once a HYDRA agent, always a HYDRA agent."

Felicity could barely keep the smile off her face. The day was finally here. She would finally be able to see Steve in person. No more Skype calls, no more cheeky text messages, and no more interesting daydreams. She would be able to touch him, hug him. It had been fifty-five long days since the last time they'd physically seen each other and she was ready. She was also curious about what he wanted to talk to her about. Thea hadn't let go of the idea that he was in love with her and when Felicity had told her that he wanted to talk to her in person-she was even more convinced.

" _He's going to tell you he loves you, Felicity!" Thea said half giggling and shouting._

" _Thea!" She hissed pulling her into her office. "He's not in love with me."_

" _Uh-huh. So, why is he coming all this way?"_

" _Because he misses me, maybe?"_

" _Of course, he does, but I'm sure he's going to tell you he loves you and take you back to the East Coast. I'll miss you and all, but my friend is dating Captain America!"_

Felicity had been embarrassed but loved her friend all the same for buying into her relationship with Steve.

She sat on her couch, wearing his favorite t-shirt and boy shorts, and waited for him to arrive. He had texted her when he landed to see if she was home and she sent back an enthusiastic reply.

Thea's words came back to her as she twiddled with her hands. What if he was in love with her? He seemed to always have a smile on his face whenever she was around and while they did have great sex, it was the quiet moments that made her even happier. She did find herself thinking of him more and a possible future together.

Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn't hear the buzzer go off. It wasn't until her phone rang that she realized that Steve was at her door.

She jumped up and ran her hand over her hair. She was nervous, as if he hadn't seen her in less and even less modest conditions.

"Felicity," he said as she opened the door. He smiled at her but it didn't reach his eyes. He leaned down to kiss her at the corner of her mouth as always.

"Hey, you," she answered smiling up at him. "I missed you."

He looked he was in pain as she said the words. "I missed you, too."

"Are you going to stand in the doorway or come in?"

She seemed to snap him out of his thoughts and he nodded.

As she stepped to the side, she noticed that he didn't have a bag with him. "Did you want something to drink? Coffee? Water? Me?"

He looked at her strangely and she was confused by his mood. A comment from her like that would've either had him laughing at the corniness or him asking her if he could have her now. However, the way he was looking at her gave her pause.

"Steve," she started as she walked towards him and took his hand. "What's wrong?"

"Bucky got away," he said quietly as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

"What do you mean by 'he got away'?" Her heart dropped. When they talked a few days earlier, he had sounded so relieved that he had found his friend.

"We were on our way back. Back to New York and then I was going to come here to see you. HYDRA attacked us. Slammed into the vehicle holding him, and another one rammed into the back of the one that Natasha and I were driving."

"Everyone okay?"

"Yeah, everyone is fine. It's just-"

She nodded while still holding his hand. "You're worried about him." She knew that he took what happened to Bucky personally but looking at him now, she didn't realize how deep his guilt ran.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Felicity, I thought seeing you would make this easier but..."

Her hand went loose in his. "Steve, what's going on?"

"I have to find him before they do and I'm not sure when I'll be back. So, I think we should take a break," he said quietly and so quickly that it took her a moment to catch up.

A wave of coldness washed over her. She knew it. She was crazy to think that Steve would be different or even thinking he was remotely in love with her. Even though she had fallen for him.

Dropping her hand from his, she stepped back. "So, I don't get a say in what happens here? You're just going to pull rank, Cap?" She spoke, her voice was laced with sarcasm and he looked at her as if she shocked him.

"Felicity," he said as he stepped towards her. "I didn't think it was fair to you. I keep going after him and to have you wait on me, it's not right."

Felicity scoffed. "Who are you to decide what's right for me? I am and have been willing to wait for you. How dare you make this decision without at least talking to me first?"

"This isn't going how I expected at all," he muttered. "Natasha said..."

She laughed bitterly. "Wait a second, you spoke with Nat about this. That's amazing. Did Tony and Clint weigh in too?"

"Natasha said this was the stupidest thing I could do," Steve shouted and she shook her head. She could hear and see that he was just as hurt as she was, but she found herself not caring.

"Well, at least she doesn't have her head up her ass," she said as she grabbed the fleece that was sitting on her couch. She couldn't stop shivering and she felt the tears starting to form in her eyes. "I don't know why you hero types think you have the right to decide anything and everything for everyone else. That's not how relationships work, Steve. At least, I didn't think we were like that."

Attempting to calm her voice, she looked at him, her eyes starting to burn. "Listen, I know that you're concerned about Bucky. I get it but one of these days you'll realize that your team-your friends are there to help you carry that burden." She sniffed loudly and wiped her eyes. The sadness she felt was reflected in his eyes and it almost broke her. "I think you should leave."

He moved closer to her and she placed a firm hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating and the tears started to fall as she remembered falling asleep against the same sound. "Please."

Nodding simply, he stepped around her and as he opened the door, she could hear him say softly, "I'm sorry," just before the door closed.

Natasha waited by the car as Steve left Felicity's building. She had spent most of their flight home telling him how ending the relationship was the most idiotic thing he could do. Felicity grounded him and he did the same for her.

As he reached her, his jaw was set in a tight line and she knew he had ended his relationship with Felicity.

"Steve," she started as he climbed into the passenger seat.

"Not now, Nat," he said quietly as she climbed into the driver seat.

She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and shook her head. "Yeah, now. You don't want to hear this but I don't care. Why are you being such an idiot?"

He glared at her and shook his head. "I'm doing what's right. Do you know that when we picked up Bucky, one of the only things I could think about was Felicity? About how I couldn't wait to ask her to move in with me? That was on my mind the whole time."

Natasha laughed ruefully. "There's nothing wrong with that, Rogers. You're in love with her." When he looked at her sharply, Natasha had been right with her assumption. Barton owed her dinner. "And now because you're so damn noble, you broke her heart. Aces."

As they pulled off, Natasha decided to leave the topic alone. If he wanted to be a noble idiot, she wasn't going to stop him.

Thea handed Felicity a cup of tea as she sat down next to her. She had rushed over after she had called her to find out how things had gone with Steve and her friend could barely get out words without crying.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as she took a sip.

Felicity sniffed loudly and looked at her with bloodshot eyes. "Like a fool. I mean, he was supposed to be different, Thea. He promised he wouldn't hurt me. I trusted him with everything."

"I know, Felicity. I'm sorry that he did. I know how much you cared about him." Thea also knew how much Steve cared about Felicity and that the breakup didn't make any sense to her. Once she looked over at Felicity, she decided that she wouldn't worry about it. Her friend was in pain and that was the only thing that mattered.

 **3 months later**

"So, after the council meeting, let's meet back at the tower to discuss our next step," Steve said as he handed the young woman the manila folder. "Make sure to tell Barton that we need him actually at the table and not in the air vents."

The woman smiled broadly at him as she walked away from him.

"I think Wick had a crush on you," a voice said behind him as he headed to his apartment.

He shook his head and looked back at Natasha who was leaning against the wall.

"Too soon?"

"Probably," he answered as she caught up with him. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just that you got a package today. Looks like it's from Felicity." Steve could feel her eyes on him as she spoke those words.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Oh." They walked in silence until they reached the door of his apartment.

"I should...probably see what she sent." He wanted to rush into the apartment to see what she sent him.

"You should, Rogers." Natasha looked him over as if she was waiting to see how he would react. Satisfied, she nodded. "See you later."

As he walked into the apartment, he saw a medium sized cardboard box sitting on his counter. He ran his hand over her small writing and felt a pang in his heart. He was in love with her but until he figured out a way to do his job and be with her-he felt that he made the right decision.

Didn't he?

He opened the box and stopped when he saw a plain envelope with his name.

 _Steve,_

 _It took me a long time to get the nerve to write to you. For a while, I was angry and I mostly felt betrayed. You said that you would be honest with me always and you were. I hope that you find whatever you're looking for and I'm sorry that you couldn't find that with me. I've sent back some of the things you've left at my apartment in case you were looking for them. Be safe._

 _\- Felicity_

Steve pulled out his green shirt, a pair of sweatpants, and his white dress shirt. Felicity had washed everything and he caught a whiff of a lemon detergent. As he dug through to the end of the box, his breath caught as he felt the item that started it all.

He pulled out the Captain America mug that he first noticed when they were in D.C. She had attached a post-it note.

 _I fixed the broken handle._

 _\- F_


	10. Missed Opportunites

**6 months later**

Steve twirled his key ring on his finger as Tony went over the latest mission. They had been able to eliminate another stronghold and gained a lead on HYDRA's next move. He looked up and caught Natasha's eye, who in turn nodded towards his hand.

"What?" He asked as he stopped twirling the keys.

Tony cleared his throat. "As I was saying, the PR team at Stark Industries seems to think the Avengers needs to rebrand."

There were loud sighs around the table and he frowned.

"Rebrand?" Steve asked starting to twirl the keys around his finger again.

"Tony thinks we need to sell lunch boxes and pajamas," Clint said at the end of the table and slipped his sunglasses over his eyes.

"And why do we need to do that?" He asked and when Natasha nodded at his hand again and he stopped twirling the keys.

"We need the public back on our side after New York and Sokovia. They think we're the bad guys," Tony said with a shrug. "If you look at the big picture-"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "And that involves selling merchandise? I don't think HYDRA cares about how many Hawkeye sunglasses we sell."

Tony nodded in agreement. "Of course not, but if we show that we aren't the bad guys, the boys on Capitol Hill are more likely to leave us alone. And besides we cancelled bird boy's sunglasses-they weren't selling."

"Hey!" Clint shouted from the end of the table as the rest of the team laughed.

"Her name is Linda Smythe and she specializes in exposés. So, we're going to show her that we aren't the bad guys. Clint and Natasha will be interviewed. Me of course, since I fund the whole thing and American Pie himself, Steve."

"Fine," Natasha said as she stood up from the table. "Yes, Tony, I'm actually agreeing with you on something."

Tony covered his mouth in mock shock. "Banner day, folks. The Black Widow agrees with me."

"Whatever," she said as she nodded to Steve. "Walk with me?"

"Sure," he said standing up from the table. As they reached the hallway, Natasha looked at the set of keys in his hand.

"You know that you can leave those in your apartment unless you've changed your mind about Felicity."

Steve sighed. "No, I haven't. But before you call me an idiot again, hear me out."

Natasha scoffed as they made their way to the lab. "Go ahead."

"Felicity is special. The kind of special that I didn't think I'd find again after Peggy and-"

"Not hearing a solid reason why you ended things with her, Cap."

"I'm protecting her!" He said in frustration as they entered the lab. "If Felicity were to get hurt, or something worse, because of me, I don't know what I'd do."

"So, instead of talking to her about it, you just made the decision for her?" Natasha let out a slow whistle. "No wonder she was pissed. She told me -"

Steve stopped in his tracks and turned to Natasha. "Wait, you've talked to her? Is she okay?"

Natasha chuckled and giving him a knowing look. "Felicity? Yeah, she's fine. Pissed at you but fine. We talk every now and then. If you're wondering, I called her after she sent your things back. I wanted to make sure she didn't hate all of us...turns out it's just you."

"Nice, Nat" he grumbled as he waved at the lab tech. He knew that Felicity would still be upset but he felt his decision was for the best even though he thought about her constantly.

She shrugged. "I hate to say that I told you so but..."

" _We've heard about the Avengers and their heroics during the siege on this city and their time in Sokovia. However, do we really know them? Do we really know what happens behind the scenes of these heroes' lives? Please join me as we do an in-depth profile on the Avengers and the team behind the name."_

Felicity looked up from her tablet as the teaser for the interview ran again. She had heard about the interview from Curtis and had sworn that she didn't want to watch it. However, she missed her friends and if this was the only way she could catch up with them aside from sporadic calls to Natasha she would. Thea hadn't bought her wanting to see her friends excuse and had insisted that Felicity just wanted to see Steve.

" _Just admit that you miss him, Felicity," Thea had said as they left the lair. It had been more than nine months since their breakup and every day the separation seemed to be getting a bit easier._

" _It's not that I don't miss him, Thea," she said as they reached her car. "It's just that I think I miss him too much and who's to say that I won't call him."_

 _Thea scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Not that it would be a bad thing. You should call him."_

 _Felicity ended the conversation with a not so subtle gesture and Thea couldn't stop laughing._

" _Okay, okay. So, did you want me to bring wine over when we watch the interview or no?"_

"Wine, my lady," Thea said as she sat next to Felicity. "Have we missed anything juicy?"

"No," she said as she took the partially full glass from her. "They just ran another teaser so I think it'll start soon."

"Good," Thea said and took a sip of her wine. "Do you think they'll interview everyone? Natasha? Hawkeye?"

Felicity smirked. In between Thea's concern about her relationship, Felicity had picked up on her new interest in Clint Barton.

"He's a good guy, Thea," she said as she took a long sip from her glass. "But we're not going to talk about the fact that he and your brother essentially are the same person."

Thea scrunched her nose and rolled her eyes. "You just ruined any fantasy I had of him."

Felicity laughed and shrugged. "Oh, don't let that stop you. I think Clint would be interested if you were to say anything."

Thea snorted as the interview began.

" _Who are the Avengers? Are they meta-humans who work in the shadows? Are they superheroes and heroines with chips on their shoulders? Or are they something more? Tonight's profile will give you the viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the gods, meta-humans, agents, who make up this team. First up, the man who funds it all, the one and only, Tony Stark."_

"Of course, they'll start with him," Thea said as took some popcorn from the bowl between them. "I wouldn't be surprised if his big head filled the entire screen."

Felicity giggled. "He's not that bad, Thea." She laughed as Thea cut her a sharp glance. "Ok, he does have a slight ego problem."

"Slight?" Thea said, exasperated.

"He does! Listen, you just have to know how to handle him. Pepper is able to do that. I can do it too, if I've had a glass of wine. He's a marshmallow."

"Uh-huh," Thea said as the interview with Tony began.

" _Mr. Stark, thank you for taking the time to speak with me for this profile."_

" _No problem, Linda...or do you prefer Ms. Smythe? I know that some of your colleagues can be more formal."_

 _The reporter smiled tenuously. "Linda would be fine, Mr. Stark."_

" _Tony."_

" _What?"_

" _Please call me Tony. Mr. Stark sounds like my father, God rest his soul."_

Felicity sat back and watched the reporter ask Tony tough questions but true to his nature he deflected but also defended the team. The reporter seemed to be taken aback by his defense but Felicity felt nothing but pride.

"See, Thea, he's really not that bad."

"Shhh! Clint and Natasha are on."

 _Natasha Romanoff has a history of getting under bad guy's skin. Some would call her a bad guy while others call her a hero. The world remembers when she released all of SHIELD's information onto the open web and her lively testimony following it._

 _Thank you for speaking with me, Agent Romanoff._

"She's bored," Felicity said as she saw Natasha roll her eyes subtly. "She'd much rather be training or going after HYDRA."

"Shhh," Thea said as a clip of Natasha riding the back of one of the Chitauri filled the screen. Felicity bit back a response as the reporter continued to interview Natasha. Her answers were strong and concise but fair. She seemed to dial back her boredom and by the time the interview was over. She and the reporter were laughing about Tony and a mascot costume.

"She's pretty awesome," Thea said as the interview went to commercial. "I can see why you got along with her so well."

"Nat is hard to get to know but once you get past her 'Black Widow' thing, she's great."

"Ooh, Clint's next!" Thea said excitedly as the interview started again. The journalist showed a photo of Clint as a kid who was all attitude and Felicity was amazed at how much he hadn't changed. The camera panned around the interview space looking for him. Suddenly, there was a loud crash and Clint dropped from the air vent.

" _Hey there, darlin'," Clint said with a grin._

Felicity looked over at Thea who was grinning widely at the screen. She shook her head as Clint flirted shamelessly with the reporter who was eating it up. When he picked up his bow to show her the trick arrows, Felicity thought that Thea was going to jump out of her seat.

She poked her in the side. "You okay, Thea? Remember Clint does exactly what your brother does. I'm sure there are a few articles addressing this very thing." She couldn't resist teasing Thea about her tiny crush on her old friend.

"Shhh," Thea hissed as the reporter asked if Clint was single.

"He's always single, Thea," she whispered as the interviewer giggled at Clint shooting an arrow at the ceiling and picking her up.

" _We'll be right back with the leader of the Avengers, Captain America himself, Steven Rogers."_

The smile Felicity had dropped almost immediately. She hadn't seen Steve since their breakup nine months ago and as much she told Thea she could deal with seeing him, now she wasn't sure.

"Hey," Thea said quietly. "We don't have to watch it."

She took another sip of wine and shook her head. "I have to do this eventually, right? I'll be fine."

They both grew quiet as the interview began again. Images of Steve and Bucky during the war flooded the screen, and people lining up to enter the exhibit at the Smithsonian. The reporter recounted his past and the events that Steve had been involved with since his return. Before she and Steve had gotten involved, she had learned all she could about him, it was nothing compared to actually getting to know him but it helped.

" _For our final interview, we will be sitting down with Captain Steven Rogers to discuss his time with the Avengers. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Captain Rogers."_

" _Anytime, Ms. Smythe."_

" _You can call me Linda. This is a casual interview."_

" _Okay, Linda. Ask away."_

Felicity kept an eye on Steve as he answered the reporter's questions as genuinely and earnestly as possible. He was wearing a white dress shirt, slightly unbuttoned at the neck and she remembered how he would react when she would kiss him. The last time she'd seen him, his hair had been cut in a short military cut but in the time since she'd seen him, he had let it grow enough to curl at the base of his neck. She couldn't remember a time where he had looked so good.

"Felicity," Thea said as she snapped her fingers in front of her. "Earth to Felicity."

Breaking her stare, she looked over at Thea who was looking at her bemused. "What?"

"You haven't taken more than a short breath since his interview started. It's okay to look, you know."

She rolled her eyes and looked back at the television. Steve had turned to look at the reporter and she could see the traces of beard.

She scrunched her nose and looked over at Thea. "Does he have a beard now or is it the lighting?"

Before she could answer, the reporter let out a loud laugh and placed her hand on his arm, and it took all of her not to yell at the television.

"Ugh," Thea said. "Why is she touching him?"

"Because he's a charming guy, Thea," she said evenly as she could muster as the reporter smiled at Steve brightly.

"But he was your guy, Felicity," Thea muttered as she glared at the television. "I bet her curtains don't match her drapes. I know a bad dye job when I see it."

Felicity almost choked on her glass of wine and laughed. "Thea!"

"I'm just saying, Felicity," her friend answered with a wink. "That's a bad dye job."

Felicity grinned and shook her head. Without Thea, she wasn't sure she would've been able to get through the initial split with Steve. She was thankful to have a friend like her, who had been her rock through it all.

"Ooh, they're back from commercial!"

" _So, Captain Rogers, let's have a bit of fun. When I was speaking to Tony earlier he mentioned that there was a new line of merchandise being released. Lunch boxes, pajamas, bedspreads, and the like. Did you keep any of these things for yourself?"_

" _I normally don't, Linda, but about six months ago I came across a vintage coffee mug." He took the mug from the table and showed it to the reporter. "I keep this one for myself. The handle is broken but it has sentimental value."_

"Is that your mug, Felicity?" Thea asked as she took a sip of wine. "The one from D.C."

She nodded as Steve launched into a story about the mug and while it wasn't something that he liked to talk about, it made him feel good that people thought he was important enough to share a cup of coffee with.

Felicity's breath caught as she remembered one of the first times they shared a cup of coffee in D.C., she had been so nervous that he wouldn't want to go that she had spilt coffee on the front of his uniform. It was the first time she realized that she liked him.

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath.

" _I'm Linda Smythe, and I'd like to thank you for joining me on this behind the scenes look into the men and women who make up the Avengers. Stay tuned for our report into the Devil of Hell's Kitchen."_

"What a good interview," Thea said as she stood up from the couch. "The segment with Natasha and Clint was really cool."

"Thea, you were going crazy for Clint," Felicity said with a smile. "I can introduce you if you want."

She laughed out loud when Thea looked over at with an eagerness that rivalled a kid in a candy store. "Really?"

"If you want," she answered noncommittally. "Maybe he could show you his special arrow," she teased.

She ducked as Thea flung a pillow at her head.

 **3 months later**

"And…there she is," Tony said as he peered at his screen, Natasha sitting next to him. "Smoaks and mini-Queen are in New York.'"

Natasha peered at the image of Thea and Felicity walking through Time Square. The two women were laughing and taking photos.

"You know, most normal people would call this stalking," she said glancing over at Tony who had zoomed in on Felicity talking to a man who looked a lot like Steve.

He shrugged. "Luckily, I'm not normal. Besides, I set up an alert for her every time Smoaks in New York."

"And that doesn't strike you as strange?" Natasha asked with another shake of her head.

"No, it doesn't. Smoaks is family even though we're estranged due to Capsicle's idiocy."

"Who is that with Felicity?" a voice asked from the air vent.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "That's Thea Queen, Clint."

"Oliver Queen's sister? She's cute."

"One in the same," Tony said as he sharpened the image to look at the man who was smiling at Felicity. "J, can you run a face scan on this person? He looks shifty."

Natasha threw her hands up in exasperation. "He looks exactly like Steve."

"Exactly. Shifty. For all, we know he could be some genetic double that HYDRA deployed to gather intel from Smoaks."

"Who looks like me?" A voice asked from the doorway. Natasha shook her head, as she couldn't see how this situation wouldn't get any worse.

"Smoaks is talking to some guy in Time Square that looks like you," Clint said from the air vent. His voice less muffled since removing the grate. "And I think Tony is starting to hit max paranoia levels."

"So, she did come for the festival," he said quietly as Tony enlarged the video of Felicity and Thea.

"You knew she was going to be here?" Natasha asked while looking at him. Sadness was etched on his face and he turned from the screen. She felt for him but this was a situation of his own making.

"Felicity and I have-had a thing for Alfred Hitchcock films. Something that we started in D.C. So, we were talking about going to a festival together and making a weekend out of it. That was before," he said as he busied himself with a manila folder.

"You should call her and invite her to the shindig tonight," Clint said as he dropped down from the vent. "Tell her that you're done being an idiot and ready to beg for her forgiveness."

Natasha tilted her head and looked pointedly at Clint. "You just want to meet Thea," she said, squaring him with a look. "You know her brother will put an arrow through you," she continued before turning away from him. "Steve, you don't have to do this."

Clint winked. "I'd like to see him try and besides Cap wants to see Felicity. So, it's a win, win."

"It's not that I don't want to see Felicity," Steve said. "I just don't think she wants to see me and besides this..." he motioned towards the bay of screens. "This is invasive. If she knew that you were doing this, she'd kill you, Tony."

"Mr. Stark," Jarvis announced, "I have the requested information from the scan on the man speaking with Ms. Smoak. He is one Douglas Michaels. NYPD."

Tony peered at the screen. "I guess he's not that sketchy."

While Tony was watching the video again, Natasha saw a storm of emotions play on Steve's face and couldn't remember time where he seemed so conflicted.

"Turn it off, Tony," Natasha said as she pushed back from the table. "Stop 'observing' Felicity. It's weird. And probably illegal."

Tony sighed loudly. "Fine. At least we know that guy isn't sketchy."

Felicity smiled up at the patrolman whose own smile mirrored hers. She had stopped to ask him directions and when he saw that she was going to a film festival, they launched into a discussion about the best Hitchcock films and where to get the best pizza.

"Officer Michaels," she said with a smile. "I'm probably keeping you from your work."

"Douglas," he said, "It's okay. My shift ends in a few minutes, Ms. Smoak." His voice had a deep timbre to it that made her shiver inwardly.

"You should call me Felicity."

"Okay, Felicity," he said with another warm smile on his face. "So, if you and your friend walk about three blocks north and take a left, you'll see the hall on the corner."

"Thank you, Douglas," she said folding the sheet of paper and putting in her bag. "I appreciate the help."

"Anytime," he said. "How long are you two in town?"

Before Felicity could answer, Thea hooked her arm into hers. "Long enough, Officer. Thanks for the directions," subtly ending the conversation.

Felicity waved at the man as Thea pulled her away. "Thea! What's your problem?"

"You don't see the similarities," she answered as they walked down the block. "He was a mirror image of Steve."

"He wasn't," Felicity argued. "He just happened to..."

"Have eyes like Steve, a smile like him, and let's not ignore the fact that he looked like he wanted to eat you alive."

Felicity laughed. "Douglas wasn't that bad, Thea. He was charming."

"He was trying to charm your pants off," Thea mocked as they reached the theatre. "Let's watch a movie before I make myself sick."

"Could I have a refill of my popcorn, please?" Felicity asked while she checked her phone. The film festival had started with Psycho and before intermission, Rear Window had started and she had to step out before her emotions got the better of her.

She looked at her phone and frowned as she saw twenty emails from a familiar address.

"Tony," she muttered as she read the subject lines. They varied from 'Please RSVP' to 'Please don't hate us because Cap is a damned idiot.' She smiled at that one. Finding the most recent email, she clicked on the video attachment.

" _Salutations, Smoaks! Before you plot to hack me, yes, we knew you are in New York. I have alerts set up for you so that I know when you're here."_

"Most people would call this stalking, Tony."

" _It's not stalking, Smoaks. At best, I'm checking in on family even though Capsicle is being absolutely ridiculous. The reason for my multiple video messages is that I'd like to invite you, plus one, to a shindig we're having at Stark Industries this evening. Oh, and by plus one, I mean Thea Queen. Not the toothy cop you were speaking with earlier in Times Square."_

"Here's your popcorn," the young man said snapping Felicity's attention from her phone.

"Thanks," she said quietly as she made her way back into the theatre. She and Thea hadn't made any plans for the evening aside from dinner and Stark parties did have the best food.

If she were being honest with herself, she was curious to see if the dynamic between her and the rest of the team had changed and she wanted to hack something of Tony to get back at him for his 'alerts'.

Once she reached the door of the theatre, she turned her phone off as she tried to ignore the nagging feeling that going to the party would open old wounds.

Steve tried to calm his nerves as the elevator ascended to the penthouse. He had been fine until Tony had said that Felicity and Thea were attending. He hadn't seen Felicity since they'd broken up and from what he saw, she seemed to be doing fine.

"If you thought that," he said to no one. "Why are you so damn nervous?"

The elevator door opened and was caught off guard by the sheer amount of individuals waiting to greet him.

As he stepped off the elevator and shook a few hands, he spotted Natasha who had changed out of her trademark uniform into a sequined party dress.

"Help," he mouthed to her and she just smiled absently at him and turned to talk to the reporter that conducted their initial interview.

"Folks, let Cap through. Give him a moment to catch his breath," Tony said from behind him, clasping his shoulder. Isn't this cool?"

He bit back a groan. "It's fine, Tony." His eyes scanned the crowd looking for the blonde ponytail that would give him a peace of mind.

"She's not here yet," Tony said with a wink. "Not that you were looking..."

He cleared his throat. "I wasn't, Tony."

"Good. So, mingle, and make us look good," he said, clapping him on the shoulder before he danced a little shuffle. "And don't drink too much. The last thing we need is bad headline hitting the front pages tomorrow morning."

Before he could tell Tony that he couldn't get drunk, he had already turned away from him and moving onto the next person.

"You're awfully quiet," a woman said from behind him.

He turned to face Linda Smythe who greeted him with a warm smile. "Just a lot on my mind, Ms. Smythe."

"Remember. I told you, call me Linda."

He nodded. "Okay, Linda. Are you enjoying the party?"

"I am," she answered taking a sip of her champagne. "I hope that I didn't offend you with that interview."

"Why would you think that? I thought it was very well done," he said offering her a friendly smile. "You were very fair to all of us. Even Tony."

Linda smiled even wider at his attempt at a joke. "Stark is a prince."

"Depending on who you ask," Steve said with a wink.

Linda smiled. "That is true. Listen, Captain Rogers, feel free to tell me to go to hell..."

"I'd never do that," he said. "And please call me Steve."

There was an awkward but comfortable silence.

"Okay, Steve. Would you like to go to dinner sometime?" She asked with a nervous smile on her face.

He cleared his throat. It wasn't that he couldn't go out with anyone else. In fact, while Natasha was still mad at him because of Felicity, she had told him that unless he was ready to tell her how he felt, he should start seeing other people.

But as Linda looked up at him with hopeful eyes, he didn't know what to say.

"Linda," he said, "I'm flattered but -"

"But you'd be bored senseless," finished the voice from behind him.

He let out breath that he didn't know he was holding as Natasha moved next to him.

Linda laughed and appeared to relax. "I think we'd have fun? Maybe? I don't know. That sounded better in my head."

"Trust me. He's dull as a doornail. Let's get another drink," Natasha said as she moved towards her. "Besides, Steve, a VIP just showed up." She nodded behind her. "You should say hello." Steve followed her eye line and his breath caught as he spotted the one person he never thought he'd see again.

"Felicity," he said as if she could hear him.

"Thanks," Felicity murmured as the coatroom attendant took the jackets from her and Thea. The penthouse had been decorated with replicas of Tony's Iron Man suit and photos of the Avengers in action over the years. Red and gold streamers hung from the rafters and the champagne was flowing.

"Wow," Thea said as they walked through the crowd. "Tony Stark does not believe in subtle."

Felicity hooked her arm through hers. "This is subtle. Let's see who is here."

"Smoaks!" Tony shouted startling her. "You made it!"

She narrowed her eyes. "You didn't give me much of a choice, Tony. Twenty emails? In one day? Really?"

"I wanted you to come to the party," he said with a shrug. "Besides, I wasn't sure you'd come because you hate me...well, not me, but the team."

She sighed and shook her head. "I don't hate you guys. Things are just different now."

"Different, she says," Tony said with a disapproving head shake. "Smoaks, I'm hurt."

"Don't be, Tony," she said as she kissed him on the cheek. "Just when Jarvis starts to quote Hamilton don't be surprised."

"Game on," Tony said, displaying his signature Tony Stark smile as he took a sip of champagne while handing a glass to her. "You must be Thea Queen," Tony stated, pivoting towards Thea.

"I am," Thea said taking a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter. "Nice to meet you. Thank you for inviting us to the party. Everything is so nuanced and subtle."

Felicity coughed as Tony grinned at Thea. "I like her, Smoaks. She can stay. Ladies, enjoy the party."

"So," Thea said as she continued to sip her champagne.

"So," Felicity answered as a smile appeared on her face. Thea had met Thor who kept calling her Lady Queen, Wanda who Thea thought had great boots, and Natasha who wanted to train with her. They had yet to see the one person that Thea wanted to meet.

"We can continue to say so to each other, sip really expensive champagne or you can just ask about Clint," Felicity said not so subtly while her eyes scanned the crowd. Her old friend had a habit of hiding in plain sight but since she hadn't been around him, she was out of practice.

"Am I that obvious?" Thea asked a slight blush on her face.

Her eyes zeroed on a crowd of people surrounding someone dressed in a sharply cut suit. "Yeah, but it's cute. Come on," she said taking Thea's hand and leading her deeper into the room.

Felicity led Thea through the crowd towards Clint who caught her eye and waved. As she passed through them, she felt as if someone was watching her.

"Clint Barton," she started as they reached him. "Thea Queen."

Clint looked Thea over and bowed. "It's an absolute pleasure to meet you, Thea Queen."

She rolled her eyes as Thea grinned at him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too, Clint Barton. Your interview was..."

"You saw that?" He asked his grin growing broader.

She nodded. "It was great. I liked your trick arrows."

Felicity rolled her eyes again as Clint offered to take Thea to the archery range so she could see them in person.

"Told you he'd show you his special arrows," Felicity said and Thea poked her in her side.

Clint wiggled his eyes brows and held a hand out to Thea. "My lady."

Thea looked at Felicity who gave an encouraging smile. "It's fine, Thea. I'll be okay. I can start plotting my revenge against Tony." She pulled her into a hug. "Have fun and don't embarrass him too much."

"I can't promise that," she said over her shoulder as she took Clint's hand.

"I said that Tony was being weird watching Felicity," Natasha said as she sat next to Steve on the stairs, "but you are currently in a close second."

He took a sip from his beer and nodded to her. "Doing my best." He smiled as he watched Felicity talk with Clint and Thea. Instead of a ponytail, her hair sat on her shoulders in loose waves. He had seen her in different dresses before but the one she decided to wear was a sheer pale green with roses embroidered on it-he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"I'm confused Steve," Natasha said. "Why don't you just talk to her?"

"And say what? I haven't changed my mind. Can we be together once again? I was an idiot for letting you go?" he answered, the sadness of the voice playing through his words. "Bucky's still out there and HYDRA-"

"Is a constant, Rogers. I get it, but you still haven't given Felicity the choice about what she wanted to do or wants. And try as you might, to justify what happened, it wasn't fair to her."

They watched as Felicity made her way onto the balcony as if it were perfectly timed.

"Go talk to her," Natasha said taking his beer. "At least this way, you can either figure out what you want, what you both want, or move on."

Felicity placed the champagne flute on the table as she walked onto the balcony. The temperature had dropped just enough to give the air the distinct fall feel that she loved. She was glad she had come to the party. Things had changed but based on everyone's reaction, everything would be okay.

The whole night she had known that Steve was there but she hadn't seen him. Thea had said that was she was avoiding the golden retriever in the room and maybe she had been. She just didn't know if she was ready to see him.

"Felicity?"

She sighed as she recognized the voice that used to make her smile and turn her insides all warm. She almost made it without seeing him.

"Steve," she said quietly as she turned to face him. He was wearing a pair of dark khakis, with a deep blue dress shirt. She tried to ignore how the shirt showed off his broad shoulders. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he answered looking at her nervously. She almost smiled at the thought of him being that nervous around her. "How about you?"

"Considering that Tony sent me twenty emails about this party? I'm fine. Did you know he was watching me?" She asked casually.

"To his credit, he called it monitoring but..."

"To normal people, it's a little bit weird," she said smiling at him. He seemed to relax a little.

"Just a little," he said quietly and continued to look at her.

The comfortable silence they were used to had now become awkward and tense. She was at a loss.

"Steve, did you want something? This staring contest isn't as fun as it used to be," she said, not missing how her words seemed to lance at him.

"I wanted to talk to you about us or what happened," he said stepping towards her.

"And there it is," she said not moving. "Do we have to? I mean, I get it. You don't want to be with me. It sucks but you know it's okay." Her words sounded harsher than she intended but she struggled to find the purpose of caring as she stood in front of the man who had once held so much hope to her.

"It's not that I don't want to be with you, Felicity. You were my friend. I've had two great loves in my life, Peggy and you. Peggy and I ran out of time and you..." he looked at her with pleading eyes and she refused to give him any leeway, "are important to me Felicity. I don't want HYDRA to even know who you are or even that you and I were together."

She tried to process his words. "You love me?" she asked quietly, stunned. She didn't want to believe him but he had never been dishonest with her.

"What?" Steve asked in disbelief. "Yes, I do," he said as he took her hand. "I have been for a while."

She pulled her hand away and frowned at him. "If you do love me, Steve, why'd you leave?"

"Because I had to, Felicity. I didn't want anything to happen to you and if it did, I would never forgive myself."

She laughed bitterly. "Nice of you to ask me how I felt."

"You're right, Felicity. I should've asked how you felt about this and I didn't. And for that, I'm sorry."

She felt tears start to form in her eyes and she wiped at them furiously. "Stop saying you're sorry, Steve. You already said that."

"I know," he said, sounding pained. "I don't know what else to say."

"How about Felicity, how do you feel about this? Or I'm a fool who broke the heart of the woman he claims to love?" She asked while knowing either option would've suited her fine.

He nodded and took her hand. "Felicity, I am and will always be a fool who broke your heart. I should've asked you how you felt about this before and not assumed anything. I was wrong. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you were. And for the record, Steve, I put myself in danger every day just by working with Oliver. I can handle it and I could've handled anything thrown at us. We were partners, and partners would've trusted each other." She said taking a calming breath. "I don't know what hurt more. The fact that you broke up with me or that you didn't trust in us enough."

He winced at her words and she knew she had hit home.

"You must hate me," he said, avoiding her gaze and staring at their clasped hands.

"I don't hate you, Steve," she said taking her hand from him. "I could never hate you. I fell in love with you, too. I just…I just need time. Time to figure out if I even want to be friends again."

"I can give you as much time as you want," he said.

"Good," she said she kissed him on the cheek. "I should go."

"You don't have to, Felicity," he said. She could almost swear that she could hear him pleading with her.

"I do. Thea is off with Clint somewhere, and I'm just really tired." Since arriving at the party, she had been dreading talking with him and now that she had, she was exhausted.

"Can I walk you to the elevator at least?"

Shaking her head, she stepped away from him. "No, I'd rather you didn't. Besides Tony will have to impress all those people himself and you know how much he hates doing that. He needs you to keep him in check."

"Okay," he said with a sad smile. "Goodbye, Felicity."

"Bye, Steve."

Felicity plastered a fake smile on her face as she hugged Natasha goodbye. She frowned at her and made her promise to call her as soon as she could.

"I can still punch him out if you want,'" she said as she walked her to the elevator.

Felicity smiled and shook her head. "It's okay, Natasha. We talked and that was that."

"If you're sure?"

"I am," she said as the elevator door opened. "I'll see you around."

Steve watched from the bar as the elevator door closed and Felicity was gone. Their talk had been needed but it didn't help the pang in his heart when he looked her. She had told him that she had been in love with him and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and hold her close. The moment he thought about it, he thought about what someone could do to her if they ever found out about them.

It was silly he knew, but the idea of something happening to Felicity worried him more than anything he could remember.

If denying his true feelings kept her safe and happy-he'd deal with it.

 **One year later**

"Captain Rogers," Jarvis said as he entered his apartment, "since you're moving out soon, Mr. Stark asked me to check with you about Ms. Smoak."

Steve took a bottle of water from the refrigerator. It had taken some time since he'd seen her at that party but they were on speaking terms again. He had begun to think about the possibility of asking her out once more. Natasha had asked him what changed since there would always be a threat. He had simply said that he missed her. His feelings for her had only grown and he hoped she still felt the same.

"What about her?"

"The apartment keys, Captain Rogers. Mr. Stark said that since you're moving, Ms. Smoak won't need access anymore."

He'd forgotten about the keys and reached for the coffee mug that held them.

"I'll call her, Jarvis. Thanks," Steve replied, a small smile growing on his lips.

Felicity darted around her apartment looking for her heels and also trying to calm her nerves. She had picked out the red dress for dinner with Oliver and after seeing her reflection in the mirror, she knew she had made the right choice.

Spotting her heels underneath the couch, she reached down to grab them. Thea had asked her if she ready to start dating again, even if was with her brother. Felicity knew that Thea was thinking about what had happened with Steve. She had assured her that she was fine. She and Steve were on speaking terms and she would even go as far to say that they were friends again.

She was applying her lipstick when she heard her computer ring. Recognizing it as Steve's ring, she hurried over to answer it.

"Hey," she said with a smile on her face. "How are you?"

Steve smiled back at her and she noticed that it was much broader than she remembered. "I'm good. You look amazing."

"Thank you," she said flipping her hair over her shoulder. His compliments still made her blush a little.

"Going out with Thea?"

She wavered on answering his question. She and Steve had been over for a while and while they were speaking again, she wasn't sure if she should say anything, but deciding otherwise, she did.

"No, I have a date," she said quickly, "with, umm, Oliver."

Surprise etched his face but he quickly recovered. "Oliver. Right. Umm, I'm sorry to bother you, Felicity."

"You aren't bothering me, Steve. You called, I answered. What's up?"

"Nothing pressing. We can talk later. Go. Enjoy your date."

Felicity couldn't fight the nagging feeling that he wasn't telling her something but she chalked up to her nerves.

"Thank you. Talk to you soon?"

"Of course."

Steve placed the keys back into the coffee mug and shook his head. He had known that Felicity would move on eventually but by some slim chance, he had hoped he'd have another chance.

"Jarvis, you can remove Felicity's access. She won't need it."

"If you're sure, Captain Rogers," Jarvis asked.

"I am," he replied, looking dejectedly at the keys that once held so much possibility as he placed it into another packing box and taped it up.


	11. Changing Tides

**Three years later**

"Did you hear?" Natasha said as she sat next to him. "Felicity and Oliver are engaged."

Steve looked up from the tablet and frowned at her. "Engaged? Since when?"

She looked at the digital clock and tilted her head. "I'd say about 12 hours ago. She sent me a text with lots of exclamation points and hearts. Obviously, she said yes."

He turned back to the tablet. "Obviously."

He had talked to Felicity throughout the beginning of her relationship with Oliver and had been there when they had their first argument when he had told her that they couldn't be together because of what they do. Eventually, he stepped back from her because he felt that their friendship could be misread by anyone who didn't know them. She understood, although they still talked to one another from time to time.

"You should see your face," Natasha said laughing. "You had your chance with Felicity, Steve. But you got in your own way."

"I know. And I'm happy for her though. Oliver's been in love with her for a long time. But…"

"It should be you," Natasha said sympathetically, patting his arm.

"I didn't say that," he said going back to his tablet again. "I was going to say that I hope that he doesn't make the same mistake that I did."

"Have you seen the way he looks at her? I hope he doesn't and besides, I'll get to be your plus one."

"Plus one? They probably haven't set a date yet."

"Not for the wedding, but the engagement party."

"Oh, I'm not going to that," he said pushing away from the table. "Give me a little credit, Natasha."

"She'll miss you," she said with a smile.

"She'll understand," he said as he stood up and walked to the kitchen before reaching for another cup of coffee. "Besides, wouldn't it be odd for her ex to be there while she was announcing her engagement to her new fiancé?"

Natasha shrugged. "Maybe just a little."

He chuckled. "Just a little." He pointed at the tablet. "Look at that map. Another lead on Buck." As she reached for the device, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Recognizing Thea's number, he began to speak. "Hey, Thea. I heard congra—"

He stopped speaking as Thea told him why he was calling. A coldness washed over him and he looked at Natasha with alarm.

"Steve, what's wrong?"

"It's Felicity," he said taking a deep, shaky breath. He looked wildly around the room. Sam and Tony stopped their conversation to look at him strangely.

"I've gotta go," he said quickly. "She's been shot."

Natasha rushed into the hospital waiting room looking for Steve. She had spoken with Thea who had quickly told her that Oliver and Felicity had been attacked after his proposal. Oliver had been able to cover her from most of the gunfire but not all of it.

Tony had arranged for a private jet for Steve to get to Star City the night before and once she got the details about what happened, she was right behind him. Her heart hurt to think about what Felicity and her friends were going through.

She spotted him in a corner off to himself. He was staring off into space and she could see that his eyes were rimmed with red. The confidence he was usually exuded was gone, and she couldn't remember the last time he looked so vulnerable.

"Steve?"

His eyes seemed to focus on her and he frowned. "Nat. Hey."

She sat down next to him and patted his leg. "How is she?"

He sniffed loudly and laid his head back. "Thea told me that when they brought her in, she had lost a lot of blood. That she almost didn't make it. Flat lined, she said."

"Steve..."

"This is what I was always worried about, Nat. Felicity has always told me that she can take of herself and this was her choice but she almost died, Natasha," he said, his voice rough with roaring emotions. When he looked back at her, her heart broke. He was devastated and had no way to express it.

"Felicity's tough," she said. "Tougher than people think. How long has she been in surgery?"

"I don't know. I'm not family or anything so I'm staying out here. Thea has been updating me when she can."

"Okay," she said quietly. "How's Thea?"

"Terrified and worried. Oliver is beside himself and John is too."

"And, how are you?"

"I feel useless, Natasha. Felicity is lying in there and I'm out here. I need to do more," he spat out and she nodded. She understood the feeling that he was dealing with, the feel of everything spinning out of control, being rudderless, unable to grab onto anything, and all the while wanting to hit something to regain some sort of control.

"First, you're not useless, Steve. What could you have done different," she asked rhetorically. "The fact that you're here for Felicity is enough. There is nothing you can do right now, this is something that you can't punch your way through."

"Nat, what if she doesn't make it? I don't...what if she doesn't?" He asked so quietly, barely audible as if speaking the words aloud would make them true.

She grasped his hand and spoke evenly. "She may not but you can't have that in your head. Whatever happens, when she gets out of surgery, she's going to need you there, Steve."

"Thank you, Natasha, for coming," Steve said. "I didn't know what to do."

"You're welcome, Steve. Besides, who else is going to keep you from punching a wall?"

As they sat in silence Thea walked through the doors, her eyes searching for them, her face a mixture of relief and something else.

"She's out of surgery," she said, sitting down next to them. Natasha had grown to know Thea since she had become involved with Clint and liked her. Thea and Felicity were closer than most and the worry on her face made the young woman look years older.

"The doctors did all that they could to stabilize her but she was hit in her back as well. They've called another specialist in. I knew that you would want to know about her condition but I can't find Oliver anywhere. He left as soon as she was out of surgery and in recovery."

John stepped into the waiting room and motioned towards them. "Thea, they're moving her."

"I've gotta go. Thank you for coming," she said, standing up. "The both of you. Steve, when she wakes up, I'll call you, okay."

Steve waited as the coffee machine spit out its tepid brew. After begging off from going back to his hotel, he decided to camp out in the hospital cafeteria. It had been fourteen hours since Felicity had been in surgery and he couldn't get her out of his mind. He had stayed away from her out of respect but the moment Thea told him what happened, he dropped everything to be in Star City for her. No one questioned it because no matter what Felicity would always be family. Once the coffee was topped off, he pulled it from the machine and cursed under his breath as some spilled onto his shirt.

"Here you go," an older woman's voice said from behind him. He turned and took a napkin from her.

"This machine is temperamental," she said offering a kind smile.

"Thanks," he said dabbing at the small stain. "I don't think it likes me very much."

"It doesn't like anyone," she said chuckling. "It always puts too much in the cup and when you try to take it out, you always spill it. I think I have a coffee stain on all of my clothes from this damned machine."

Steve smiled despite himself. "I appreciate the napkin, Mrs.?"

"Lincoln. And you are?"

"Steve Rogers," he answered, noting the spark of recognition in the older woman's eyes.

"Are you visiting someone? Girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend? Um, no. My friend was injured last night and I'm just waiting for an update."

"Oh no!" She said as they walked towards an empty table. "Was it a car accident?"

He pulled out a chair for her and sat across from her. "Something like that. She was hurt badly. She got out of surgery about nine hours ago but she hasn't woken up yet. It's been 14 hours since I got the news."

"Well, Steve, you should be there waiting instead of here talking to me."

"She has her friends and her fiancé. I'm keeping my distance." He answered quickly, sipping his coffee, eager to push down the feeling of despair.

"But if she's your friend, you should be there unless..." Mrs. Lincoln's mouth formed a perfect O and she sipped her coffee.

"Yeah," Steve said as concern etched her face. "It's pathetic. Sulking in a cafeteria while the woman I lo-my friend is up there. I once told her that I would always be there for her and if I had been there last night..."

"She would be here instead of you worrying if you were going to wake up. You can't change what happened, Steve, as much as much as you want to. What's her name?"

"Felicity," he said quietly. "Felicity Smoak."

Mrs. Lincoln smiled at him. "The way you say her name reminds me of the way my husband says mine. Even after 30 years of marriage. Did you want to talk about it?"

"I don't want to bore you," he said as the woman chuckled.

"Please. You'd be doing me a favor. Charlie hasn't been discharged yet and I have nothing but time on my hands."

"Charlie's your husband?"

Mrs. Lincoln smiled. "Yes, he broke his leg in a motorcycle crash a few days ago. He's lucky it was the only thing that was broken."

"Oh no," Steve said suddenly worried about her.

She held up her hand. "Don't worry about it. Charlie does this at least once or twice a year. He's tried scuba diving and skydiving. He's already planning on taking me scuba diving in Cozumel next year."

"So, he's fine?"

"Perfectly but you're deflecting," she said with a smile.

He looked down at his hands. "My friend, Natasha, says that I do that all the time."

"Is she a friend like Felicity?" She asked as she took another sip of her coffee.

"Natasha? No. She says I'd bore her too much." He chuckled thinking of how much she had teased him through the years and how close they had gotten, thankful for the friendship that had blossomed through the years. "Felicity and I are different."

"Really?"

"Really," he said a smile. "We started out as friends. Really good friends. It's that same old story. Boy likes girl. Boy doesn't know the girl likes him. She has this funny way of talking when she gets nervous that made me smile. I loved spending time with her after work. We used to take walks and each time she would have different color dresses."

The memory of one of their last walks came to mind. It had been exceptionally warm throughout the day and she had worn a pale yellow dress when they walked through the National Mall. He was caught off guard when she smiled at him. It was that moment that he knew that he liked her. He had bought her an ice cream and they had spent the evening talking about her life before Star City.

"Different color dresses?"

"She loves color. She wore them often, but I was always caught off guard, every single time. She was...is beautiful. We became serious but I screwed it up."

"Why? She sounds lovely."

"I didn't want her to get hurt because of my job. I care about her and if something were to happen to her, I wouldn't know what I'd do."

She frowned at him. "And she was okay with that?"

He ran his hands through his hair, looking away sheepishly, not saying a word.

Mrs. Lincoln shook her head. "I'm guessing you didn't ask her what she thought. That probably wasn't a good idea, Steve."

"You wouldn't be the first to tell me that, Mrs. Lincoln. It happened four years ago and Natasha still gives me grief about it."

"And she should," she said matter-of-factly. "When Charlie and I hit a rough patch, he tried that same argument with me. I had to explain to him, forcefully, that I wasn't a doll that he could put on a shelf. He and I, we're a pair."

"What did he do for living?"

"We were partners at the SCPD. I know it's cliché but we fell in love. I ended up retiring when I was hurt on the job and he followed me soon after. He told me at the time that he was bored at work but I think that he just missed me."

Steve smiled at the woman. "I miss her."

"I can tell," she said as her phone buzzed. "It looks like Charlie is ready to go. I know Felicity is engaged and you're respecting that. However, sulking in a dark corner isn't going to make anyone feel better. Go upstairs and find out what's going on with your friend. She'll need you when she wakes up."

"She has people who care about her there..."

"That may be true but she doesn't have you. Go."

The constant beeping was the first thing to wake her up. She had been in and out of it for the better part of an hour and she tried to ignore the news that one of the bullets had struck her in the back. No one thought she heard them. She couldn't feel her legs.

"Hey, you're awake." A voice said and she immediately recognized it as Thea.

She struggled to open her eyes and tears immediately formed when she saw Thea looking back at her. "Hey honey," she said. "I'm glad you're back."

"I can't feel my legs," she said quietly and sniffed loudly. The drugs were slowly starting to wear off and the dull throb of pain began to course through her. She could feel her fingers and her arms. Though her brain was telling her legs to move, they didn't move.

Thea chewed her bottom lip. "I know," she said hesitantly. "More specialists are going to be coming soon, okay? Really soon. Do you remember what happened?"

She took a deep breath and coughed. Her throat was still sore from the breathing tube that was removed when she first opened her eyes.

"Oliver proposed at the beach. He and I were driving back to the loft. We were shot at." Immediately, she thought about Oliver. "What about Oliv-"

"He's fine, Felicity," Thea answered, squeezing her hands as she noticed Felicity's heart-rate rising. "He was hit in the arm but he's ok."

"Where is he?" She said quietly. Her brain kept trying to tell her legs to move but they wouldn't.

"I don't know. John's out looking for him and I've been calling him," Thea said, concern evident on her face. "He doesn't know you're awake yet."

Felicity's eyes began to well up. The emotion of the events from the night before began to course through her. She was scared and worried. Glancing at her hand, she noticed that her engagement ring was missing. She couldn't get out of her head that this changed everything.

Thea seemed to read her mind and shook her head. "Stop thinking that, Felicity. He loves you."

"But what if he changed his mind, Thea? I would understand."

Thea wiped at her own eyes and shook her head again. "He hasn't, Felicity. I promise."

"Then why isn't he here?" She asked, her voice trembling. Her mind flooded with thoughts of her father when he had left her and her mother. Cooper had lied and used her. Steve, while her friend again, had ended their relationship because he didn't trust her.

"I...I don't know." As if on cue, Thea's phone made a sound. Looking down at the phone, she nodded. "It's John. I'll call the nurse to come check on you." She squeezed her hand. "I'll be back."

Tears began to flow freely as Thea quickly stepped out of the room. When Oliver had proposed to her, she felt on top of the world. The feeling of elation and love that coursed through her was something she hadn't felt in so long. And it had only taken less than a minute for her life to change and those feelings to be torn from her.

"Felicity?"

She winced as she brought her hand up to wipe at her eyes furiously. It had been more than a year since she'd seen him but here he was.

"Steve," her voice wavered and she tried to calm herself. Tears pricked at her eyes again and she bit her bottom lip. It was dry and cracked to her tongue.

"Hey there, Smoak," he said as he came closer to the bed. He brushed the hair out of her eyes and she could see the despair in his.

"What are you doing here," she asked quietly, her voice still low because of the tenderness in her throat.

He sat down next to her bed and took her hand. "Thea told me what happened."

"But you didn't have to come. You have Avengery stuff to deal with..."

"Hey," he said cutting her off. "Tony can handle it, and besides, Smoak, I've got your six. Always." His voice full of confidence that she lacked since she had woken in her room.

Not trusting her voice, she squeezed his hand his hand.

"Did Thea tell you everything?" She asked wishing she didn't feel so lost. The pain in her side was starting to increase causing her to shift in the bed.

"Yeah, I hear congratulations are in order," he answered with a soft smile.

"Congratulations for what?" She shifted a little on the bed, as he reached for the cup of water on the table.

"Oliver proposed," he answered as he lifted the straw to her lips. The water, cooling her burning throat and she looked at him strangely.

"Yeah, he did." She looked at her fingers again and sighed.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he sat back and tilted his head. One of her hands were still clasped in his as his thumb soothingly rubbed across her knuckles.

She moved her fingers and tried to understand the whirl of emotions that were playing inside her. "What if he doesn't want to marry me anymore because of what's happened?"

"Because you're in the hospital?" Confusion clouding his words.

"You know what I mean, Steve," she said, her voice quieting even more.

"No, Felicity, I honestly don't."

"What if he doesn't want to marry because of what happened?" The words causing more pain than she'd wanted to admit.

"Thea told me that what's going on with your injury. The doctor said that there's a chance you could walk again."

"More of a chance that I won't," she huffed, her voice hollow as tears began to fall from her eyes. "I'm broken," her voice cracking as she spoke. "I'm broken, Steve."

"No, you aren't, Felicity," he said as he took her hands into his again. "Hey," he said, as he looked into her eyes, "you aren't. You are one of the strongest people that I know. It's bullshit to think that you, Felicity Smoak, could break because of this." The strength of his words was evident on his face. "And if Oliver doesn't want to marry you, I'll break his nose."

Despite her condition, she knew that Steve was trying to make her feel better. She smiled at him weakly but she knew the smile wasn't convincing. "You want to punch him most of the time anyway."

He looked relieved and smiled back at her. "Just a little bit, plus this time it'll be for a legitimate reason."

"Jerk," she muttered and he smiled at her. "Thank you for being here, Steve."

"I want to be anywhere else, Felicity." He stood and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I need to let Natasha and Tony know what's going on - if that's okay with you?"

"It's fine. I want them to know and tell Tony he doesn't have to come out here."

"He's already threatened to send one of the suits here to keep an eye on you."

"Of course he did," she said, wincing. The pain she was trying to avoid shot through her.

Concern etched his face as he looked at her. "You know what, Nat and Tony can wait. I'll wait with you till the nurse gets here."

Steve let the door close softly behind him as Felicity fell asleep. After the nurse had come to check on her and to speak with her about the second surgery she needed, they had talked until he noticed that she had dozed off.

He had tried to keep his emotions at bay when the nurse had told Felicity that she would be in the hospital for the time being until they could assess the full scope of the damage to her back. She would need all the support she could get from her friends and family.

"Hello, Steve," a familiar voice said as he looked up from his phone.

"Hi, Mrs. Lincoln," he said seeing the older woman walking towards him pushing a man in a wheelchair with a brace on his leg who was staring at him with his mouth open in shock. "Did your friend wake up?"

He nodded and offered her a smile. "She did and thank you for making me check in with her."

She laughed and shook her head. "I didn't make you do anything. At best, I made a strong suggestion."

"You didn't tell me the man you were talking to was Captain America, Shelly," the man said as he looked up at her, eyes blown wide.

"Well, I told you I met a nice young man named Steve Rogers who was checking in with his friend who was hurt last night."

"But you didn't tell me it was him," he hissed and looked back at Steve. "Sorry."

He chuckled and shrugged. "It's fine. You must be Charlie. Mrs. Lincoln told me about your accident," he said while offering his hand to him.

"It's nice to meet you too, sir," he said as he shook it. "I grew up hearing stories about you from my grandfather. Inspired me to join the service once I was old enough."

Steve nodded. It was a story he had heard often since waking up but it didn't diminish the effect it had on him. "Thank you for your service, Charlie."

"How long are you in town?" Mrs. Lincoln asked as Steve noticed another familiar face rounding the corner and heading directly towards them. The look of extreme anger graced Oliver Queen's face as he recognized the other man.

"More than likely a few days if my friend needs me," he said as Oliver reached them.

"Hey," he said to him attempting to curb the tense situation before it blew up. "Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln, this is-"

"Mayoral candidate Queen," Shelly said with a warm smile. Steve noticed that she seemed to insert herself between him and Oliver. "You have our full support in this election. It's an honor to meet you."

To his credit, Oliver dropped the angry look on his face long enough to smile tersely at Mrs. Lincoln and her husband. "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs.-?"

"Charlie and Shelly Lincoln. SCPD, both retired," Charlie chirped from the wheelchair seemingly noticing his wife's intention.

"It's nice to meet you both and thank you for your vote. I appreciate all the hard work the SCPD has done and continues to do to keep our city safe."

The Lincolns nodded to Oliver and looked at Steve. "If you're going to be in town for a few days," Charlie said. "You should come over for dinner. I make a great casserole."

"I'd like that," he said with a smile. As Mrs. Lincoln pulled out her phone, Steve could feel the anger radiating off Oliver. He rattled off his number to the couple and leaned over to hug Mrs. Lincoln.

"Play nice," she said under her breath as he stepped back from him. "I'll give you a call tomorrow maybe about dinner?"

"Sounds good," he answered, grateful for their presence. As Mrs. Lincoln and her husband rounded the corner, Oliver glared at him.

"What the hell are you doing here, Rogers?" He spat out as he stepped towards him.

Immediately, he felt his ire rise. "Thea reached out to me. She told me what happened and I came straight here."

"From New York? Don't you have Avenger things to deal with?" Oliver asked not bothering to mask the sarcasm in his voice.

"Not when she's involved," he answered not backing down from the gauntlet Oliver had thrown. "She needed someone here with her and Thea called me."

"We're here. Thea, John, and me. Felicity didn't need you." As Oliver said the words, Steve could see the despair and anger in his eyes but he couldn't let go of the hurt that he saw in Felicity's eyes when Oliver wasn't there.

Ignoring Mrs. Lincoln's warning, he narrowed his eyes at Oliver. "Do you know that she thinks you don't want to marry her because her ring is gone? Do you know that one of her first thoughts after waking up was that you didn't want to be with her anymore because of what's happened? Because you weren't by her side." The anger coursed through him as Oliver looked taken aback by his words. The way Felicity looked at him as she talked about how happy she had been when Oliver asked her to marry him had broken his heart. He'd promised Felicity that he would only break Oliver's nose if necessary but given the way he was feeling, he'd make an exception. His presence here had nothing to do with their past but everything to do with him being there for her like always.

"How can she feel that way?" Oliver asked as the bravado he had displayed when he first arrived disappeared.

"Because you weren't here," he said quietly, his anger still evident. "We both know that she's a strong person but this is different. I know that you're angry about what's happened. We all are, but the only thing that is important right now is that we are...all of us...are here for her. She is going to need our support and love."

"I know," he said as he ran his hands over his hair. "She almost died."

"I know. I was here too." He saw Oliver wince noticeably but he didn't care.

"Thank you," Oliver said while they both stood looking at each other and trying to understand the others point of view. Steve knew that Oliver loved Felicity. That much he was sure about and to Oliver's credit, he didn't seem to push him to explain his presence any further.

"You're welcome." Steve tilted his head and glanced towards Felicity's room. They were only a few steps away from the door but he could hear her begin to stir.

"She's waking up. I need to call Natasha," he said as he stepped back from Oliver. "I'll see you around, Oliver."

"So, you're still in love with the woman in the hospital but who is engaged to the mayor?" Shelly asked as she handed Steve a bottle of beer.

He nodded and took a long sip of the beer. "Only I'm not in love with her, not anymore."

Charlie and Shelly looked at each other with bemusement.

"You can't just turn that off, Steve. Even if you aren't together anymore, there will always be a part of you that will always love her," Charlie said as he drank from his own beer. "From what Shells told me, you left New York as soon as her friend told you what happened."

He frowned and shrugged. "She's my friend, of course, I did."

"Uh-huh," Charlie said. "You almost came to blows with one of Star City's mayoral candidates."

Embarrassed, he nodded. "I was out of line, Charlie. He was already upset about what's happened to Felicity so it probably didn't help that her ex was hanging around."

"Well, when her ex is Captain America, I guess I could understand it," Shelly said with a shrug. "But what I don't understand, Steve is why you haven't been back to visit since she's woken up."

"Shells," Charlie started as he shook his head. "We should probably stop asking him about it. He's not a suspect."

"What? It's a valid question. I don't expect him to declare his undying love for her but he has told us on numerous occasions that Felicity is his friend. So, why not go see her to see how she's doing?"

He leaned back in the chair and carded his fingers through his hair. Shelly's reasoning made sense. He could easily have been at Felicity's side everyday but after his discussion with Oliver, he wasn't sure he'd be welcomed.

"At least, Steve," Charlie said as he pushed back from the table, "see her before you leave."

"She can have visitors for a little while," the nurse said as she stepped out of Felicity's room. "If she starts to fall asleep again, just make sure you leave quietly."

He nodded as he walked into Felicity's room. Even though it had been more than a week since she was shot, she seemed to be in good spirits.

"Steve," she said warmly as he sat next to her bed. "I was starting to think that you weren't going to come back to see me."

His face grew warm as he took her hand. "I wasn't sure if I'd be welcomed. How are you?"

"Same as I was last night and the day before," she answered with a shrug. "I have another surgery this weekend and the doctor said that they will re-evaluate then."

She chewed her lip and looked at him. "Steve, why do you think you wouldn't be welcome here? Is it because you and Oliver argued the other day?"

He frowned and thought about what he could say. He had never lied to Felicity but he had no idea on how to explain his still simmering anger at Oliver without sounding like a jealous ex-boyfriend.

He smiled and shook his head. "We didn't argue but there was a heated discussion with plenty of chest beating and grunting."

She narrowed her eyes at him and smiled back. He had missed that smile. "Chest beating and grunting, huh?"

"Yeah, Oliver and I came to an understanding and everything is fine." Everything wasn't fine but he couldn't tell her why it wasn't.

"Uh-huh. Oliver won't tell me what happened and now neither will you. You know I'll find out eventually."

"I'd expect nothing less." He noticed a shiny glint on her left hand. "I see the engagement is back on."

She smiled and nodded. "Yes, Oliver and I talked and worked it out. That day I was really stressed and it was silly to think that he didn't want to marry me." As Steve watched, he noticed that the smile didn't reach her eyes. The anger he was trying to keep at bay began to surface again. The look on Felicity's face that morning, when she'd woken, had bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

"I wish you wouldn't do that, Felicity," he said and as soon as the words left him, he wanted to take them back.

"Do what?" She asked her eyes immediately narrowing. He was on a thin edge and he could hear Shelly Lincoln telling him to tread carefully.

"I wish you wouldn't excuse Oliver for not being here when you woke up. It's unacceptable." He released the breath he had been holding and sat back in the chair. "I don't know how you can let him get away with it. Since he does love you, why wasn't he here with you? Making sure that you were okay?"

Felicity winced at his words and the guilt started to overwhelm him. He had held back his thoughts on Oliver since the morning she had woken up but every time he thought about the sadness in her eyes when she realized that he wasn't there, it had broken him more.

"Oliver's complicated, Steve. You know that. You've known that since you and I-"

"Since we were together, Felicity. I know but that doesn't excuse-" His voice began to rise and he quickly recovered.

"Excuse him from what, Steve? He was here when it counted and so were you."

He wanted to tell her. Tell her that he was still in love with her and that if she let him, he'd never leave her side again. Instead, he squeezed her hand. "I know, Felicity, but he should've never left. I just don't want you alone. Not anymore."

"I won't be, Steve. My mom's staying in town. Oliver, Thea and John will be right here too."

"I know," he said quietly. "I just hated seeing you like that." When he got the call about Felicity, he had dropped everything and rushed to be there for her and he would do it again.

As tears began to fall from her eyes, he resisted the urge to brush them from her face. It was gesture that he would've done without hesitation before and now it would've felt like he was overstepping his boundaries. He and Felicity were done, by his own actions. He grabbed a Kleenex from her table and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she sniffed and looked up at him. "I know but I promise that I'll be fine, Steve."

"If you're sure..." he trailed off and looked at his hands. All she had to do was to ask him but he knew that she wouldn't. Oliver would be here and that had to be enough.

"I am," she said. "Promise me that you'll think about coming to the engagement party whenever it happens."

"I can't, Felicity," he said as he stood up. There were a lot of things he would do for her but going to her engagement party was not high on the list.

"I know. It's kind of ridiculous for me to even ask." She smiled at him and for a split moment, he could see the playfulness that he had grown to love when they were together.

"Just a little bit," he said as he stood from the chair. "If you need anything, Felicity..."

"You're the first one on my list," she said and gave him another smile.

 **3 months later**

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the engagement party?" Natasha asked as she sat across from Steve. He smiled and shook his head. "No, give me a little credit, Nat. Last time I saw Oliver Queen, I almost punched him in the face."

"He was being an asshole"' she scoffed. Steve chuckled at her comment. "You were there for Felicity and he was-"

"Upset about what happened," he finished for her. After their confrontation by Felicity's hospital room, he had made himself scarce. His anger at Oliver had surprised him and forced him to come to an understanding about his feelings for Felicity. "She'll understand," he said as he thought back to their conversation they'd had before he'd left Star City. While he wanted to celebrate her engagement, and he should since they were friends-it would've been too painful for him to see her.

"Maybe, but will you at least do a quick message for her? Everyone else has and since you won't be there, it'll be something nice for her to see." She slid the thumb drive towards him. "If you need step-by- step instructions, I'm sure there's YouTube video."

He took the drive from her and rolled his eyes. "I think I can figure it out." He knew what he wanted to say to her and it was better if he was alone when he did it.

Natasha smiled. "Good. There is enough space on it for whatever you want to say. The jet leaves in a few hours and I promise not to let Tony see it."

"Tony's still in Star City?"

"Yeah, still annoying the hell out Oliver and promising to convince Felicity to move to New York."

He chuckled and shook his head. Once he had gotten back to New York and told the team what happened to Felicity, Tony had taken it upon himself to go to Star City. He had tried to tell them that it was just to make sure that HYDRA wasn't tracking her but he knew Tony had been as worried about Felicity as he had been.

"Who's going to the party besides you and Tony?"

"Clint and Sam. Wanda is staying here with Vision and Thor is off world."

"Good. She's going to love seeing you guys," he said. "Once I go over this report about Buck, I'll get something done for the video."

"She'd love to see you too, Steve." Steve shrugged and turned back to the report. "Felicity will understand."

As Natasha left him to review the report, his eyes fell on the thumb drive. He didn't know exactly what he could say to Felicity that wouldn't sound desperate but Natasha had given him enough time to figure it out.

Felicity was exhausted. Her mother had come back to town to help with the engagement party and it had gone off without a hitch for the most part. They had a discussion about the amount of glitter in the invitation especially after most of it had gotten all over Oliver when he opened one by mistake. Her mother was in love with the idea of love and the idea that her daughter was going to marry Oliver was icing on the cake.

She smiled as she caught Clint and Thea in a corner talking intensely. Clint casually laid his hand on Thea's lower back and when Thea didn't swat it away, she knew Oliver wasn't within striking distance.

"He should be more discreet. Oliver's going to kill him," a familiar voice said from behind her.

She turned her chair to face Natasha and grinned broadly. "When have we ever known Clint to be discreet?"

"Never," Natasha answered smiling back at her. "Hi, Felicity." She leaned down to hug her. "Congratulations on the engagement."

"Thanks, Natasha. I'm glad you guys could make it." She hadn't been able to get rid of Tony since her release but seeing Sam, Clint, and Natasha had brought an unexpected lightness to her mood.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. Seeing Tony terrorize Oliver is worth it."

Felicity chuckled. "I know Tony means well but I'm sure Oliver would rather Tony stop telling him he's going to offer me a job at S.I. to be your support for Avenger business."

"Tony likes to hide behind the Stark name when he doesn't want to appear like he gives a damn but I know that he was worried about you like the rest of us. Probably more so." As Natasha spoke, Felicity thought back to the conversation she had with Tony once she was released. He was angry but determined to help her walk again. He had been quick to say that he wasn't trying to fix her but he wanted to help.

"I know," she said as she saw Tony talking to Oliver who seemed to look through him and directly at her. "You guys know I'm fine."

"I know, Felicity but that doesn't stop us from worrying. Especially those who aren't here."

At the mention of those not there, Felicity felt deflated. She had known that Steve wouldn't come but a tiny part of her wanted to see her friend in person again.

Trying to fight off the disappointment in her voice, she smiled at Natasha. "How is he?"

"He's Steve, you know. Still worried about Bucky and HYDRA."

"Yeah. I heard he's been dating." She started to move towards Oliver. She heard Natasha scoff and looked up at her.

"What?"

"It didn't last. He said that the reporter wanted more than what he was willing to give. I didn't like her," Natasha said as Tony spotted them and began to walk over.

"You don't like anyone, Nat," Felicity said with a knowing grin. "You didn't like me at first."

Natasha placed a hand over her heart. "I liked you, Felicity."

"Sure, you did," Felicity chuckled as Tony reached them.

"Well," Natasha said with a wink. "I didn't like you until boosted my voltage in my weapons."

"See," she said with a laugh. "Hey, Tony."

"Smoaks," Tony said. "Do you mind if I steal you away from your charming company?"

Felicity looked over at Natasha who simply shrugged. "It's fine but I wanted to give you this." She handed her a small thumb drive. "It's just something your other family put together for your engagement. Watch it later."

Felicity took the drive and placed it in her pocket. "Thanks, Nat."

Natasha leaned down to hug her and she was caught off guard by the emotion behind it. She had known Natasha for years and she could count on one hand how many times she saw her emotional. "Congratulations, Felicity, on everything."

As she stepped back from her, Natasha nodded towards Tony. "Try not to make it about you, Stark."

"I'll try my best," Tony said as they began to make their way towards the loft balcony.

Once they reached it, Felicity glanced at Tony who seemed for once to be at loss of words.

"What's going on, Tony? Did Oliver finally get tired of you?"

Tony chuckled softly and offered her a wry smile. "I'm a prince."

"Sure, you are," she said responding with a smile to match his. "What's going on?"

Tony took a small battery out of his suit pocket. "Do you remember this?"

Felicity peered at the battery and she nodded in recognition. "Yes, it's the power source I was working on Palmer Technologies before I was-"

"Yeah. Well, with my brilliant mind, some Stark tech and your friend Curtis, we think it could help you walk again."

Her heart began to pound in her chest. From what the doctors had explained she could possibly walk again but the chances of it were slim to none. The specialists that Oliver had called in had told her the same thing. The idea that she could walk again had left her mind months ago.

"But the doctors told me that my chances were low," Felicity said quietly.

"Maybe, but I did build a band of iron suits," Tony said as he handed the small device to her. "I hope it helps, Felicity."

Tears formed immediately in her eyes and she gave him a watery smile. "Thanks, Tony."

Tony smiled back at her genuinely. "Your family, Smoaks, even if you're marrying a caveman. It's the least I could do."

Felicity laughed and shook her head. "He's not that bad."

"Maybe not but he needs to work on enunciating his words. Grunting only works if Banner is hulked out."

Felicity swatted at Tony's hand as he led her from the balcony.

Felicity pushed herself up onto the bed and reached for her tablet. Oliver was in the shower trying to get the glitter from party tables out of his hair. She palmed the thumb drive Natasha has given her. When she tried to watch it with Oliver, he had begged off explaining that Natasha said it was a gift from them and he had had enough of the Avengers for a while.

As the video started, she laughed as she listened to the messages from her friends. Wanda had said a phrase in Sokovian that she hadn't understood but Wanda quickly said that she wishes her good fortune. Clint said that he was still a better archer than Oliver but if she and had to marry anyone, he was glad (begrudgingly) that it was him. Thor had shocked the camera with his hammer but jovially wished them good luck. Her smile only grew when she saw the messages from Sam, Tony, and Natasha. As she got to the last portion of the video, her breath caught when Steve's face filled the screen. They had been over years ago but she'd always appreciate how he commanded attention.

"Felicity," he started. "When Natasha asked to me to add something to this video, I hesitated because what could I say that probably hasn't already been said but I was always at a loss for words around you. So, I'll say this, I am so proud of you. After you were shot, I was rudderless. I didn't know what to do or how to help. I wanted to be strong for you but you didn't need me as much as I needed you. Throughout everything, your strength has been a marvel and your courage has been something that leaves me in awe every time I think about it. Hopefully, by now, Tony's given you your gift. I hope it works and you kick the next step in the journey in its ass. Congratulations to you and Oliver, Felicity. Love yo-"

Tears streamed down her face as the message trailed off. She knew that he wouldn't come to the party but even still, his words meant a lot. He would always mean a lot to her.


End file.
